| 1. |
- Falster, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Data. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2052-4463. ; 8:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.
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| 2. |
- Cardoso-Moreira, Margarida, et al.
(författare)
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Gene expression across mammalian organ development
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nature. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 571:7766, s. 505-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The evolution of gene expression in mammalian organ development remains largely uncharacterized. Here we report the transcriptomes of seven organs (cerebrum, cerebellum, heart, kidney, liver, ovary and testis) across developmental time points from early organogenesis to adulthood for human, rhesus macaque, mouse, rat, rabbit, opossum and chicken. Comparisons of gene expression patterns identified correspondences of developmental stages across species, and differences in the timing of key events during the development of the gonads. We found that the breadth of gene expression and the extent of purifying selection gradually decrease during development, whereas the amount of positive selection and expression of new genes increase. We identified differences in the temporal trajectories of expression of individual genes across species, with brain tissues showing the smallest percentage of trajectory changes, and the liver and testis showing the largest. Our work provides a resource of developmental transcriptomes of seven organs across seven species, and comparative analyses that characterize the development and evolution of mammalian organs.
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| 3. |
- Schwabecker, Julia
(författare)
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Between the Paths of Modernity : The European Commission’s Shaping of European Nuclear Energy Policy between 1999 and 2012
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A powerful symbol of modernity, in its early days, nuclear energy was associated with images of progress and dreams of a better life. At the start of the European process of integration, it was hoped that peaceful cooperation in nuclear matters would bring about lasting peace in the European continent. Today, the idea of uniting European nations through the common development of electronuclear technology may appear odd. Yet, more than a half century after the start of the European project of integration, the Euratom Treaty firmly calls for the creation of conditions necessary for the speedy establishment and growth of the nuclear industry, while the European Commission, an organization situated at the heart of the European integration project, officially frames this energy source as indispensable for the long-term transformation of the European energy system in a more sustainable direction.However, this development of European nuclear energy policy was neither natural nor inevitable. General European energy policy was standing at a crossroads at the turn of the century and the European Commission’s official position was split between two fundamentally different understandings of the role of nuclear power. Starting in 1999, when the European Union raised the status of its commitment to sustainable development to a constitutional and legally binding objective, and ending the analysis with the post-Fukushima policy response in 2012, this study explores how the Commission shaped electronuclear policy in light of the Union’s commitment to sustainable development. Stressing the role of the operationalization of sustainable development in the general energy sector, it explores how a particular conceptualisation of the nuclear energy development trajectory came to be considered natural and desirable while the other conceptualization was marginalised and became increasingly less relevant, discussing the implications of this development for the process of transforming the European energy system. Drawing broadly on the critical constructivist approach, the study is based on the assumption that the normative structure of the international system, which is underpinned by the industrial society’s ideals about modernity, justifies disproportionate focus on technological and industrial development and exploitation of nature. Because states and supranational polities alike define and redefine their interests and identities within this normative fabric of international society which in turn reflects ideas about what is legitimate and desirable, the study reflects on the critical potential of the concept of sustainable development to transform this normative framework.
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| 4. |
- Skill, Karin, 1974-
(författare)
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(Re)Creating Ecological Action Space : Householders' Activities for Sustainable development in Sweden
- 2008
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Where does my individual responsibility for the environment start and end? Should I be responsible for environmental stress in India only because my shoes were produced there, or for climate change that endangers species in Antarctica, or rising sea levels on Pacific islands which just might have been caused by my driving? What do I need to do if I think it is my responsibility? And how do I decide which is a better alternative from an environmental point of view? Who should I trust when deciding on what action to take, and what opportunities do I need for acting?This multidisciplinary thesis takes the politicization of everyday household activities due to environmental consequences, and individualization of responsibility, as its starting points. These points make it increasingly important to understand what responsibility individuals experience, and how they act in accordance with these perceptions. The present thesis is a qualitative study with 28 Swedish households that concern how the householders express responsibility for the environment through their everyday activities, partly by claiming to be “environmentally conscious”, and how they attempt to exert political influence. The study contributes to the discussion on the wide field of sustainable development and environmental politics. It deals specifically with the ways four Swedish municipalities (Gothenburg, Huddinge, Piteå and Växjö) attempt to influence what the householders do in the private sphere when it comes to implementing sustainable development, and what opportunities and they supply, and what expectations they have on householders. The study thereby discusses the possibility to interfere in the perceived private sphere, and different ways to participate politically.
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