| 1. |
- Abu Hatab, Assem, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 risk perception and food security in the MENA region: evidence from a multi-wave household survey
- 2024
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Ingår i: Food Security. - : Springer Nature. - 1876-4517 .- 1876-4525. ; 16, s. 989-1008
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The COVID-19 pandemic had disruptive consequences for MENA countries’ agri-food value chains that exacerbated poverty and jeopardized food security. This study examines the relationship between individuals’ perception of contracting COVID-19 and their experience of food insecurity, using longitudinal data from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household survey. It also investigates the underlying mechanisms of COVID-19 concerns and explores coping strategies employed by households to identify vulnerabilities in food security. The results provide compelling evidence of a strong association between individuals’ concern about the virus and various dimensions of food security, particularly reduced purchasing power and decreased meal frequency. Notably, this association follows an inverted U-shaped curve, with food insecurity initially increasing as worry grows, but declining after individuals contract the virus. High levels of concern were also linked to significant income decreases and worsening economic conditions. Moreover, individuals with higher concerns were more likely to rely on specific coping strategies, particularly spending savings and obtaining funds from relatives or friends. These findings underscore the need for government interventions during disease outbreaks and economic downturns to focus on alleviating individuals’ worry and fear to facilitate informed decision-making that minimizes food insecurity consequences. Additionally, the findings emphasize the need to strengthen social protection systems during public health and economic challenges to ensure food security for vulnerable populations.
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| 2. |
- Skiöldebrand, Eva, et al.
(författare)
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Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein neoepitope in the synovial fluid of horses with acute lameness: A new biomarker for the early stages of osteoarthritis
- 2017
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Ingår i: Equine Veterinary Journal. - : Wiley. - 0425-1644 .- 2042-3306. ; 49:5, s. 662-667
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundClinical tools to diagnose the early changes of osteoarthritis (OA) that occur in the articular cartilage are lacking. ObjectivesWe sought to identify and quantify a novel cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) neoepitope in the synovial fluid from the joints of healthy horses and those with different stages of OA. Study designIn vitro quantitative proteomics and assay development with application in synovial fluids samples obtained from biobanks of well-characterised horses. MethodsArticular cartilage explants were incubated with or without interleukin-1 for 25 days. Media were analysed via quantitative proteomics. Synovial fluid was obtained from either normal joints (n = 15) or joints causing lameness (n = 17) or with structural OA lesions (n = 7) and analysed for concentrations of the COMP neoepitope using a custom-developed inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Explants were immunostained with polyclonal antibodies against COMP and the COMP neoepitopes. ResultsSemitryptic COMP peptides were identified and quantified in cell culture media from cartilage explants. A rabbit polyclonal antibody was raised against the neoepitope of the N-terminal portion of one COMP fragment (sequence SGPTHEGVC). An inhibition ELISA was developed to quantify the COMP neoepitope in synovial fluid. The mean concentration of the COMP neoepitope significantly increased in the synovial fluid from the joints responsible for acute lameness compared with normal joints and the joints of chronically lame horses and in joints with chronic structural OA. Immunolabelling for the COMP neoepitope revealed a pericellular staining in the interleukin-1-stimulated explants. Main limitationsThe ELISA is based on polyclonal antisera rather than a monoclonal antibody. ConclusionsThe increase in the COMP neoepitope in the synovial fluid from horses with acute lameness suggests that this neoepitope has the potential to be a unique candidate biomarker for the early molecular changes in articular cartilage associated with OA.
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| 3. |
- Zanne, Amy E, et al.
(författare)
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Fungal functional ecology: bringing a trait-based approach to plant-associated fungi.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. - : Wiley. - 1469-185X .- 1464-7931. ; 95:2, s. 409-433
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fungi play many essential roles in ecosystems. They facilitate plant access to nutrients and water, serve as decay agents that cycle carbon and nutrients through the soil, water and atmosphere, and are major regulators of macro-organismal populations. Although technological advances are improving the detection and identification of fungi, there still exist key gaps in our ecological knowledge of this kingdom, especially related to function. Trait-based approaches have been instrumental in strengthening our understanding of plant functional ecology and, as such, provide excellent models for deepening our understanding of fungal functional ecology in ways that complement insights gained from traditional and -omics-based techniques. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge of fungal functional ecology, taxonomy and systematics and introduce a novel database of fungal functional traits (FunFun ). FunFun is built to interface with other databases to explore and predict how fungal functional diversity varies by taxonomy, guild, and other evolutionary or ecological grouping variables. To highlight how a quantitative trait-based approach can provide new insights, we describe multiple targeted examples and end by suggesting next steps in the rapidly growing field of fungal functional ecology.
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| 4. |
- Nyberg, Gert, et al.
(författare)
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Enclosures in West Pokot, Kenya: Transforming land, livestock and livelihoods in drylands
- 2015
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Ingår i: Pastoralism. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-7136 .- 2041-7128. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dryland livestock production systems are changing in many parts of the world, as a result of growing human populations and associated pressure on water and land. Based on a combination of social and natural science methods, we studied a 30-year transformation process from pastoralism to a livestock-based agro-pastoral system in northwestern Kenya, with the overall aim to increase the understanding of the ongoing transition towards intensified agro-pastoralist production systems in dryland East Africa.Key to this transformation was the use of enclosures for land rehabilitation, fodder production, and land and livestock management. Enclosures have more soil carbon and a higher vegetation cover than adjacent areas with open grazing. The level of adoption of enclosures as a management tool has been very high, and their use has enabled agricultural diversification, e.g. increased crop agriculture, poultry production and the inclusion of improved livestock. Following the use of enclosures, livelihoods have become less dependent on livestock migration, are increasingly directed towards agribusinesses and present new opportunities and constraints for women. These livelihood changes are closely associated with, and depend on, an ongoing privatization of land under different tenure regimes.The results indicate that the observed transformation provides opportunities for a pathway towards a sustainable livestock-based agro-pastoral system that could be valid in many dryland areas in East Africa. However, we also show that emergent risks of conflicts and inequalities in relation to land, triggered by the weakening of collective property rights, pose a threat to the sustainability of this pathway.
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| 5. |
- Edvardsson, Johannes, et al.
(författare)
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Old wood in a new light : an online dendrochronological database
- 2023
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Ingår i: International Journal of Wood Culture. - : Brill Academic Publishers. - 2772-3194 .- 2772-3186. ; 3:1-3, s. 442-463
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Old Wood in a New Light database project focuses on the digitization and accessibility of the results of dendrochronological samples analyzed and archived at four Swedish university-based tree-ring laboratories at Lund University, Stockholm University, University of Gothenburg, and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. Collaboration with the Environmental Archaeology Laboratory and Humlab at Umeå University enables long-term open access to data, raw data, and metadata. In this project, we (1) systematically undertake large-scale entry and open access publication of results from wood samples scientifically analyzed and archived by Swedish laboratories and the associated metadata, into the Strategic Environmental Archaeology Database (SEAD; www.sead.se) research data infrastructure, and (2) actively promote the database as a resource for new and ongoing interdisciplinary research initiatives. Including dendrochronological data in SEAD infrastructure allows interdisciplinary studies that combine major scientific and societal questions. Building on a pilot study of construction timber from southern Sweden and adaptation of SEAD digitization workflows, more than 70 000 samples archived at the four dendrochronological laboratories are now being handled in the project. The broad coverage of research networks, stakeholder interaction, and strategic support from the cultural heritage community is guaranteed owing to the ongoing collaboration between laboratories and an established international and multidisciplinary reference group.
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| 6. |
- Lethin, Johanna, et al.
(författare)
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Development and characterization of an EMS-mutagenized wheat population and identification of salt-tolerant wheat lines
- 2020
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Ingår i: Bmc Plant Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2229. ; 20:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Triticum aestivum (wheat) is one of the world's oldest crops and has been used for >8000 years as a food crop in North Africa, West Asia and Europe. Today, wheat is one of the most important sources of grain for humans, and is cultivated on greater areas of land than any other crop. As the human population increases and soil salinity becomes more prevalent, there is increased pressure on wheat breeders to develop salt-tolerant varieties in order to meet growing demands for yield and grain quality. Here we developed a mutant wheat population using the moderately salt-tolerant Bangladeshi variety BARI Gom-25, with the primary goal of further increasing salt tolerance. Results After titrating the optimal ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) concentration, ca 30,000 seeds were treated with 1% EMS, and 1676 lines, all originating from single seeds, survived through the first four generations. Most mutagenized lines showed a similar phenotype to BARI Gom-25, although visual differences such as dwarfing, giant plants, early and late flowering and altered leaf morphology were seen in some lines. By developing an assay for salt tolerance, and by screening the mutagenized population, we identified 70 lines exhibiting increased salt tolerance. The selected lines typically showed a 70% germination rate on filter paper soaked in 200 mM NaCl, compared to 0-30% for BARI Gom-25. From two of the salt-tolerant OlsAro lines (OA42 and OA70), genomic DNA was sequenced to 15x times coverage. A comparative analysis against the BARI Gom-25 genomic sequence identified a total of 683,201 (OA42), and 768,954 (OA70) SNPs distributed throughout the three sub-genomes (A, B and D). The mutation frequency was determined to be approximately one per 20,000 bp. All the 70 selected salt-tolerant lines were tested for root growth in the laboratory, and under saline field conditions in Bangladesh. The results showed that all the lines selected for tolerance showed a better salt tolerance phenotype than both BARI Gom-25 and other local wheat varieties tested. Conclusion The mutant wheat population developed here will be a valuable resource in the development of novel salt-tolerant varieties for the benefit of saline farming.
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| 7. |
- Mousavi, Hesam, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of Increasing Salinity by Drip Irrigation on Total Grain Weight Show High Yield Potential of Putative Salt-Tolerant Mutagenized Wheat Lines
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI AG. - 2071-1050. ; 14:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Twenty-three lines from a mutagenized Bangladeshi BARI Gom-25 wheat population that included previously identified salt-tolerant lines, and the BARI Gom-25 control variety, were cultivated in a drip-irrigated salinity test field at Salt Farm Texel, Netherlands, to assess their performance during salt stress in European climatic conditions. Lines were tested at irrigation salinity levels of 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 dS m(-1) in four repetitions of plots with 24 plants per plot. Average plant height, tiller number, spike length, frequency of live plants, and total grain weight (TGW) were recorded as functions of seasonal mean pore water salinity in the soil. Increases in salinity triggered reductions in all evaluated variables of the assessed lines and the control variety. However, nine mutagenized lines had at least twofold higher mean TGW than the control variety, 18.73 +/- 4.19 g/plot at 1-16 dS m(-1) salinity levels. Common models of salt tolerance confirmed this pattern, but there were no clear differences in salinity tolerance parameter estimates between the mutagenized lines and the control variety. Thus, despite the apparent similarity in responses of all lines to salinity increase, we clearly identified lines that tended to have higher TGW at given salinities than the control variety. This higher TGW at the full range of salinity treatments indicates not only a possible higher salinity tolerance but a higher yield potential as well. The mechanisms involved clearly warrant further attention.
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| 8. |
- Mårtensson, Fredrika, et al.
(författare)
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The role of greenery for physical activity play at school grounds
- 2014
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Ingår i: Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. - : Elsevier BV. - 1618-8667 .- 1610-8167. ; 13:1, s. 103-113
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Greenery is assumed to promote physical activity at school grounds by facilitating open and flexible play situations that engage many children. The role of greenery for school ground activity was investigated at two schools, one of which contained a substantial amount of greenery and the other one little greenery. All in all 197 children from 4th (10-11 years) and 6th grade (12-13 years), were involved in a one week field study, documenting self-reported school ground use, their favourite places and favourite activities and counting their steps by pedometer. The most common school ground activities were related to the use of balls as part of different sports, games and other playful activity. The more extensive green areas belonged to children's favourite places, but were little used, whereas settings with a mix of green and built elements in proximity to buildings were well-used favourites. Physical activity in steps was similar at the two schools, but on average girls got less of the activity they need during recess. Greenery was found important by contributing to settings attractive to visit for girls as well as boys and for younger as well as older children, if located in ways that also supported peer interaction and various games. (C) 2013 Elsevier G'mbH. All rights reserved.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Wild, Birgit, et al.
(författare)
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Decoupling of priming and microbial N mining during a short-term soil incubation
- 2019
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Ingår i: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0038-0717 .- 1879-3428. ; 129, s. 71-79
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) availability depend on the breakdown of soil polymers such as lignin, chitin, and protein that represent the major fraction of soil C and N but are too large for immediate uptake by plants and microorganisms. Microorganisms may adjust the production of enzymes targeting different polymers to optimize the balance between C and N availability and demand, and for instance increase the depolymerization of N-rich compounds when C availability is high and N availability low (“microbial N mining”). Such a mechanism could mitigate plant N limitation but also lie behind a stimulation of soil respiration frequently observed in the vicinity of plant roots (“priming effect”). We here compared the effect of increased C and N availability on the depolymerization of native bulk soil organic matter (SOM), and of 13C-enriched lignin, chitin, and protein added to the same soil in two complementary ten day microcosm incubation experiments. A significant reduction of chitin depolymerization (described by the recovery of chitin-derived C in the sum of dissolved organic, microbial and respired C) upon N addition indicated that chitin was degraded to serve as a microbial N source under low-N conditions and replaced in the presence of an immediately available alternative. Protein and lignin depolymerization in contrast were not affected by N addition. Carbon addition enhanced microbial N demand and SOM decomposition rates, but significantly reduced lignin, chitin, and protein depolymerization. Our findings contrast the hypothesis of increased microbial N mining as a key driver behind the priming effect and rather suggest that C addition promoted the mobilization of other soil C pools that replaced lignin, chitin, and protein as microbial C sources, for instance by releasing soil compounds from mineral bonds. We conclude that SOM decomposition is interactively controlled by multiple mechanisms including the balance between C vs N availability. Disentangling these controls will be crucial for understanding C and N cycling on an ecosystem scale. © 2018 The Authors
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