| 1. |
- Nilsson, R. Henrik, 1976, et al.
(författare)
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Introducing guidelines for publishing DNA-derived occurrence data through biodiversity data platforms
- 2022
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Ingår i: Metabarcoding and Metagenomics. - : Pensoft Publishers. - 2534-9708. ; 6, s. 239-244
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- DNA sequencing efforts of environmental and other biological samples disclose unprecedented and largely untapped opportunities for advances in the taxonomy, ecology, and geographical distributions of our living world. To realise this potential, DNA-derived occurrence data (notably sequences with dates and coordinates) – much like traditional specimens and observations – need to be discoverable and interpretable through biodiversity data platforms. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) recently headed a community effort to assemble a set of guidelines for publishing DNA-derived data. These guidelines target the principles and approaches of exposing DNA-derived occurrence data in the context of broader biodiversity data. They cover a choice of terms using a controlled vocabulary, common pitfalls, and good practices, without going into platform-specific details. Our hope is that they will benefit anyone interested in better exposure of DNA-derived occurrence data through general biodiversity data platforms, including national biodiversity portals. This paper provides a brief rationale and an overview of the guidelines, an up-to-date version of which is maintained at https://doi.org/10.35035/doc-vf1a-nr22. User feedback and interaction are encouraged as new techniques and best practices emerge.
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| 2. |
- Hassellöv, Ida-Maja, et al.
(författare)
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Effekter på havsmiljön av att flytta över transporter från vägtrafik till sjöfart
- 2019
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Rapport (refereegranskat)abstract
- Antagandet av en nationell godstransportstrategi 2018 innebär att Sverige strävar efter att ”främja en överflyttning av godstransporter från väg till järnväg och sjöfart”. Ett delmål är att minska negativ miljöpåverkan från godstransporter. Men, om en överflyttning av gods från väg till sjöfart innebär ökat antal fartyg, eller ökad tillryggalagd distans med fartyg, innebär överflyttningen en ökad belastning på havsmiljön. Här föreligger därför en målkonflikt mellan transportpolitiska mål och flera miljömål. Tillståndet i havsmiljön runt Sveriges kuster uppnår idag inte god miljöstatus med avseende på exempelvis näringsämnen, miljögifter och främmande arter; för samtliga dessa belastningar bidrar sjöfarten till den negativa situationen. För att nå god miljöstatus behöver istället den totala belastningen på den marina miljön minska. Vid en eventuell överflyttning av godstransport från väg till sjöfart, är det därför angeläget att säkerställa att den ökade belastningen på den marina miljön minimeras. Ett sätt är att visa geografisk hänsyn genom att undvika sjöfart inom miljömässigt känsliga havsområden. Ett annat sätt är att ställa hårdare krav på fartygens prestanda. Miljöpåverkan från fartyg varierar framför allt mellan, men också inom, olika fartygstyper. Men att skapa nya regelverk med syfte att förbättra fartygens prestanda är en långsam process eftersom sjöfarten primärt regleras genom internationella konventioner där tillämpning av regionala eller nationella särregler undviks. Några förslag till åtgärder för att säkerställa att havsmiljön kring Sverige inte försämras till följd av överflyttning av godstransporter från väg till sjöfart är: Tillse att det skapas högkvalitativt och jämförbart underlag för sjö- och landtransporters påverkan på havsmiljön. Analysera och kommunicera samtliga typer av utsläpp, inte bara utsläpp av koldioxid. Utsläppsmängder och påverkan bör anges och jämföras i absoluta tal och relevanta enheter. Minimera antalet transporter genom att öka fyllnadsgraden. Optimera fartygens hastighet för att minimera drivmedelsförbrukningen och emissioner. Dagens fartygstrafik i Sveriges mest känsliga och skyddade havsområden måste minska. När- och kustsjöfart bör kanaliseras bort från havs- och kustområden med höga naturvärden. Skapa tydliga incitament så att fraktköpare enbart anlitar fartyg som har högsta miljöprestanda avseende såväl utsläpp av växthusgaser som av andra förorenande eller övergödande ämnen till luft och vatten. Säkerställ att införandet av ett NECA (kvävekontrollområde) i Östersjön och Nordsjön innebär att fler fartyg installerar kväverening och att införandet inte leder till att fler äldre fartyg utan regelstadgad effektiv kväverening trafikerar området. • Stärk samordningen mellan myndigheter så att framtidsfrågor som rör sjöfart och dess miljöpåverkan behandlas och åtgärdas i linje med ekosystembaserad förvaltning. Relaterat till sjöfartens striktare svavelregler som träder i kraft 2020-01-01: Förbjud utsläpp av skrubbervatten till havet då utsläppen innebär en stor risk för försämrad miljöstatus och överskridna miljökvalitetsnormer enligt vattendirektivet, med avseende på exempelvis koppar och zink. Utred konsekvenserna av den förväntade ökade användningen av lågsvavliga hybridoljor som fartygsbränsle. Då befintlig saneringsutrustning är mindre effektiv för hybridoljor innebär detta en ökad risk vid kommande olyckor och oljeutsläpp.
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| 3. |
- Dymitrow, Mirek, et al.
(författare)
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Nutrition, health and climate : What have we learned so far?
- 2019
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Ingår i: Conference on Food Science and Nutrition: “Forum for food science and nutrition for a better tomorrow”, 25–26 February 2019, Rome, Italy.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Food and meals are central elements in our lives: a source of pleasure, a social activity and a bearer of culture. Our eating habits are also very important to health, which implies that the organization and content of meals is a prerequisite for well-being and learning. Schools, in particular, have unique opportunities to promote healthy lifestyles, help develop good eating habits and raise environmental and climate awareness among children and youths by embedding food in a wider context. Unsurprisingly, there is also an increasing interest in school meals and food-related education among researchers, many of whom agree that the quality of school meals can be seen as one of the most accurate indicators of the cities’ sustainability potential. Systematic quality work, however, requires shared targets and ambitions, regular quality checks and discussions on development and improvement. In that vein, the City of Gothenburg has launched the project Urban Rural Gothenburg, which assembles, develops, tests and implements new solutions for the city’s public kitchens. This involves climate-smart and environmentally sound perspectives and programs regarding meal planning, food procurement, food preparation and food-related teaching and learning. One important approach deals with the normalization of increased vegetarian consumption and greater awareness of food’s origins and travel from farm to table. Another approach deals with conscious choices of raw materials that are beneficial for both the environment and health. A third notable approach focuses on new ways of handling food waste to reduce climate impact. In line with the third Sustainable Development Goal, this presentation captures and reaffirms the fundamental assumptions and methods involved in Gothenburg’s work with food sustainability in public kitchens, with an emphasis on health and climate as cross-cutting issues that matter to us all.
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| 4. |
- Tamburino, Lucia, et al.
(författare)
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Reconciling a positive ecological balance with human development : A quantitative assessment
- 2021
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Ingår i: Ecological Indicators. - : Elsevier. - 1470-160X .- 1872-7034. ; 129
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Clear indicators and evaluation criteria are essential to keep humanity’s environmental impact within planetary boundaries. We introduce a new criterion based on two constraints, accounting for both ecological and human sustainability. The ecological constraint is defined through a novel indicator, the eco-balance, grounded on the well known concept of ecological footprint and the new concept of population biodensity. The human sustainability constraint is based on the estimated level of biocapacity consumption needed to achieve an acceptable level of human development. The application of our criterion to world countries shows where technological improvements and changes in consumption patterns are sufficient to reach sustainability, and where actions on population and/or restoring ecological capital are also needed. This highlights synergic patterns going beyond simplistic schemes, such as overconsumption vs. overpopulation or developed vs. developing countries.
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| 5. |
- Svensson, Glenn, et al.
(författare)
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Should I stay or should I go? Modelling dispersal strategies in saproxylic insects based on pheromone capture and radio telemetry: a case study on the threatened hermit beetle Osmoderma eremita
- 2011
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Ingår i: Biodiversity and Conservation. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0960-3115 .- 1572-9710. ; 20:13, s. 2883-2902
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To predict how organisms cope with habitat fragmentation we must understand their dispersal biology, which can be notoriously difficult. We used a novel, multi-pronged approach to study dispersal strategies in the endangered saproxylic hermit beetle Osmoderma eremita, exploiting its pheromone system to intercept high numbers of dispersing individuals, which is not possible with other methods. Mark-release-recapture, using unbaited pitfall traps inside oak hollows and pheromone-baited funnel traps suspended from tree branches, was combined with radio telemetry (in females only) to record displacements. Dispersal, modelled as a probability distribution of net displacement, did not differ significantly between sexes (males versus females recaptured), observation methods (females recaptured versus radio-tracked), or sites of first capture (pitfall trap in tree versus pheromone trap – distance from original dispersal point unknown). A model including all observed individuals yielded a mean displacement of 82 m with 1% dispersing1 km. Differences in body length were small between individuals captured in pitfall versus pheromone traps, indicating that dispersal is rarely a condition-dependent response in O. eremita. Individuals captured in pheromone traps were consistently lighter, indicating that most dispersal events occur relatively late in life, which agrees with trap catch data. In addition, most (79%) females captured in pheromone traps were mated, showing that females typically mate before leaving their natal tree. Our data show that integrating odour attractants into insect conservation biology provides a means to target dispersing individuals and could greatly improve our knowledge of dispersal biology in threatened species.
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| 6. |
- Vidal Carulla, Clara, 1985-, et al.
(författare)
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Development of Preschool Children's Executive Functions throughout a Play-Based Learning Approach That Embeds Science Concepts
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study focuses on the development of executive functions in preschool children during a series of science activities. A longitudinal play-based learning intervention was designed and implemented following the design of an educational experiment. Data were collected through visual ethnography in hot situations with adult supervision. Results show how entwined the concepts of inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility are within young children's development. The development of cognitive flexibility or attention shifting readily occurred when there were fictive characters (such as the king and his royal family), but changing perspective toward a nonfictive environment (i.e., taking other children's perspectives) was a more difficult and time-consuming process. This process began in an individual perspective and expanded to acknowledging others' perspectives, then moved toward creating common perspectives or alternative narratives. Results show that science activities can be a bridge for preschool children to transfer their use of executive functions, from fairytales and games toward everyday tasks.
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| 7. |
- Capo, Eric, et al.
(författare)
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Oxygen-deficient water zones in the Baltic Sea promote uncharacterized Hg methylating microorganisms in underlying sediments
- 2022
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Ingår i: Limnology and Oceanography. - : Wiley. - 1939-5590 .- 0024-3590. ; 67:1, s. 135-146
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human-induced expansion of oxygen-deficient zones can have dramatic impacts on marine systems and its resident biota. One example is the formation of the potent neurotoxic methylmercury (MeHg) that is mediated by microbial methylation of inorganic divalent Hg (HgII) under oxygen-deficient conditions. A negative consequence of the expansion of oxygen-deficient zones could be an increase in MeHg production due to shifts in microbial communities in favor of microorganisms methylating Hg. There is, however, limited knowledge about Hg-methylating microbes, i.e., those carrying hgc genes critical for mediating the process, from marine sediments. Here, we aim to study the presence of hgc genes and transcripts in metagenomes and metatranscriptomes from four surface sediments with contrasting concentrations of oxygen and sulfide in the Baltic Sea. We show that potential Hg methylators differed among sediments depending on redox conditions. Sediments with an oxygenated surface featured hgc-like genes and transcripts predominantly associated with uncultured Desulfobacterota (OalgD group) and Desulfobacterales (including Desulfobacula sp.) while sediments with a hypoxic-anoxic surface included hgc-carrying Verrucomicrobia, unclassified Desulfobacterales, Desulfatiglandales, and uncharacterized microbes. Our data suggest that the expansion of oxygen-deficient zones in marine systems may lead to a compositional change of Hg-methylating microbial groups in the sediments, where Hg methylators whose metabolism and biology have not yet been characterized will be promoted and expand.
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| 8. |
- Hammarsten, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Developing ecological literacy in a forest garden : children’s perspectives
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 1472-9679 .- 1754-0402. ; 19:3, s. 227-241
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Today, cities become more dense, green spaces disappear and children spend less time outdoors. Research suggests that these conditions create health problems and lack of ecological literacy. To reverse such trends, localities are creating urban green spaces for children to visit during school time. Drawing on ideas in ecological literacy, this study investigates school children’s perspectives on a forest garden, a type of outdoor educational setting previously only scarcely researched. Data were collected through walk-and-talk conversations and informal interviews with 28 children aged 7 to 9. Many children in the study expressed strong positive feelings about the forest garden, the organized and spontaneous activities there, and caring for the organisms living there. We observed three aspects of learning in the data, potentially beneficial for the development of children’s ecological literacy: practical competence, learning how to co-exist and care, and biological knowledge and ecological understanding.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Kucher, Kostiantyn, Dr. 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Evaluation and Experimental Design for Visual Text Analytics : Position Paper
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 2022 IEEE Workshop on Evaluation and Beyond — Methodological Approaches to Visualization (BELIV '22). - : IEEE. - 9798350396294 - 9798350396300 ; , s. 28-37
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Appropriate evaluation and experimental design are fundamental for empirical sciences, particularly in data-driven fields. Due to the successes in computational modeling of languages, for instance, research outcomes are having an increasingly immediate impact on end users. As the gap in adoption by end users decreases, the need increases to ensure that tools and models developed by the research communities and practitioners are reliable, trustworthy, and supportive of the users in their goals. In this position paper, we focus on the issues of evaluating visual text analytics approaches. We take an interdisciplinary perspective from the visualization and natural language processing communities, as we argue that the design and validation of visual text analytics include concerns beyond computational or visual/interactive methods on their own. We identify four key groups of challenges for evaluating visual text analytics approaches (data ambiguity, experimental design, user trust, and "big picture" concerns) and provide suggestions for research opportunities from an interdisciplinary perspective.
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