| 1. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(författare)
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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)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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| 2. |
- Hopper, I., et al.
(författare)
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Sympathetic Response and Outcomes Following Renal Denervation in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: 12-Month Outcomes From the Symplicity HF Feasibility Study
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Cardiac Failure. - : Elsevier BV. - 1071-9164. ; 23:9, s. 702-707
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Heart failure (HF) is associated with chronic sympathetic activation. Renal denervation (RDN) aims to reduce sympathetic activity by ablating the renal sympathetic nerves. We investigated the effect of RDN in patients with chronic HF and concurrent renal dysfunction in a prospective, multicenter, single-arm feasibility study. Methods and Results: Thirty-nine patients with chronic systolic HF (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] <40%, New York Heart Association class II-III,) and renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR; assessed with the use of the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation] < 75 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2)) on stable medical therapy were enrolled. Mean age was 65 +/- 11 years; 62% had ischemic HF. The average number of ablations per patient was 13 +/- 3. No protocol-defined safety events were associated with the procedure. One subject experienced a renal artery occlusion that was possibly related to the denervation procedure. Statistically significant reductions in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP; 1530 +/- 1228 vs 1428 +/- 1844 ng/mL; P = .006) and 120-minute glucose tolerance test (11.2 +/- 5.1 vs 9.9 +/- 3.6; P = .026) were seen at 12 months, but there was no significant change in LVEF (28 +/- 9% vs 29 +/- 11%; P = .536), 6-minute walk test (384 +/- 96 vs 391 +/- 97 m; P = .584), or eGFR (52.6 +/- 15.3 vs 52.3 +/- 18.5 mL . min(-1) . 1.73 m(-2); P = .700). Conclusions: RDN was associated with reductions in NT-proBNP and 120-minute glucose tolerance test in HF patients 12 months after RDN treatment. There was no deterioration in other indices of cardiac and renal function in this small feasibility study.
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| 3. |
- Hale, S. E., et al.
(författare)
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Evaluating Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in Peri-Urban Areas
- 2023
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Ingår i: Water. - : MDPI. - 2073-4441. ; 15:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The term nature-based solutions (NBS) has gained traction in recent years and has been applied in many settings. There are few comprehensive assessment frameworks available that can guide NBS planning and implementation while at the same time capturing the short- and long-term impacts and benefits of the NBS. Here a recently presented framework, which builds on the theory of change and was developed to assess NBS at different phases of the project cycle, was applied to seven diverse case studies. The case studies addressed water quality and quantity issues in peri-urban areas across the global north and south. Framework indicators covering the sustainability dimensions (environmental, social and economic) were assessed at three stages of the framework: context, process and results. The work sought to investigate the following research objectives: (1) Can this framework be robust and yet flexible enough to be applied across a diverse selection of NBS projects that are at different phases of the project cycle and address different kinds of water challenges within varied ecological, social and economic contexts? (2) Is it possible to draw generalisations from a comparative analysis of the application of the framework to the case studies? Results showed that the framework was able to be applied to the case studies; however, their diversity showed that NBS projects designed in one context, for a specific purpose in a specific location, can not necessarily be transferred easily to another location. There were several process-based indicators that were universally significant for the case studies, including expertise, skills and knowledge of the involved actors, roles and responsibilities of involved actors and political support. The result-based indicators were case study-specific when environmental indicators were case study-specific, and important social indicators were environmental identity and recreational values. Overall, the use of the framework benefits the recognition of the implementation’s advances, such as the change in context, the processes in place and the results obtained.
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| 4. |
- Kiuchi, Márcio G, et al.
(författare)
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Renal Denervation Update From the International Sympathetic Nervous System Summit: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1558-3597 .- 0735-1097. ; 73:23, s. 3006-3017
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Three recent renal denervation studies in both drug-naïve and drug-treated hypertensive patients demonstrated a significant reduction of ambulatory blood pressure compared with respective sham control groups. Improved trial design, selection of relevant patient cohorts, and optimized interventional procedures have likely contributed to these positive findings. However, substantial variability in the blood pressure response to renal denervation can still be observed and remains a challenging and important problem. The International Sympathetic Nervous System Summit was convened to bring together experts in both experimental and clinical medicine to discuss the current evidence base, novel developments in our understanding of neural interplay, procedural aspects, monitoring of technical success, and others. Identification of relevant trends in the field and initiation of tailored and combined experimental and clinical research efforts will help to address remaining questions and provide much-needed evidence to guide clinical use of renal denervation for hypertension treatment and other potential indications.
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| 5. |
- van Velden, J. L., et al.
(författare)
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Futures for invasive alien species management : using bottom-up innovations to envision positive systemic change
- 2023
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Ingår i: Sustainability Science. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057. ; 18:6, s. 2567-2587
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Invasive alien species (IAS) pose a key threat to biodiversity, the economy and human well-being, and continue to increase in abundance and impact worldwide. Legislation and policy currently dominate the global agenda for IAS, although translation to localised success may be limited. This calls for a wider range of responses to transform IAS management. An under-appreciated strategy to achieve success may come from bottom-up, experimental innovations (so-called “seeds”), which offer alternative visions of what may be possible for IAS management in the future. We present an application of a participatory process that builds on such innovations to create alternative visions of the future, with actionable pathways to guide change. Through a series of workshops with practitioners and academics, we used this process to explore alternative positive futures for IAS management in South Africa. We then identified a set of domains of change, that could enable these visions to be actioned by appropriate stakeholders. The domains of change highlight the social–ecological nature of the IAS sector, with interconnected actions needed in financial, cultural, social, technological and governance spheres. Key domains identified were the need to shift mindsets and values of society regarding IAS, as well as the need for appropriate and functional financing. This participatory futuring process offers a way to interrogate and scale bottom-up innovations, thereby creating optimism and allowing stakeholders to engage constructively with the future. This represents an important step in fostering the potential of bottom-up innovations to transform IAS management.
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| 6. |
- Chan, Kai M. A., et al.
(författare)
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Levers and leverage points for pathways to sustainability
- 2020
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Ingår i: People and Nature. - : Wiley. - 2575-8314. ; 2:3, s. 693-717
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1. Humanity is on a deeply unsustainable trajectory. We are exceeding planetary boundaries and unlikely to meet many international sustainable development goals and global environmental targets. Until recently, there was no broadly accepted framework of interventions that could ignite the transformations needed to achieve these desired targets and goals.2. As a component of the IPBES Global Assessment, we conducted an iterative expert deliberation process with an extensive review of scenarios and pathways to sustainability, including the broader literature on indirect drivers, social change and sustainability transformation. We asked, what are the most important elements of pathways to sustainability?3. Applying a social-ecological systems lens, we identified eight priority points for intervention (leverage points) and five overarching strategic actions and priority interventions (levers), which appear to be key to societal transformation. The eight leverage points are: (1) Visions of a good life, (2) Total consumption and waste, (3) Latent values of responsibility, (4) Inequalities, (5) Justice and inclusion in conservation, (6) Externalities from trade and other telecouplings, (7) Responsible technology, innovation and investment, and (8) Education and knowledge generation and sharing. The five intertwined levers can be applied across the eight leverage points and more broadly. These include: (A) Incentives and capacity building, (B) Coordination across sectors and jurisdictions, (C) Pre-emptive action, (D) Adaptive decision-making and (E) Environmental law and implementation. The levers and leverage points are all non-substitutable, and each enables others, likely leading to synergistic benefits.4. Transformative change towards sustainable pathways requires more than a simple scaling-up of sustainability initiatives-it entails addressing these levers and leverage points to change the fabric of legal, political, economic and other social systems. These levers and leverage points build upon those approved within the Global Assessment's Summary for Policymakers, with the aim of enabling leaders in government, business, civil society and academia to spark transformative changes towards a more just and sustainable world.
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| 7. |
- Lambert, Elisabeth A, et al.
(författare)
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Single-unit muscle sympathetic nervous activity and its relation to cardiac noradrenaline spillover.
- 2011
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Ingår i: The Journal of physiology. - : Wiley. - 1469-7793 .- 0022-3751. ; 589:Pt 10, s. 2597-605
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent work using single-unit sympathetic nerve recording techniques has demonstrated aberrations in the firing pattern of sympathetic nerves in a variety of patient groups. We sought to examine whether nerve firing pattern is associated with increased noradrenaline release. Using single-unit muscle sympathetic nerve recording techniques coupled with direct cardiac catheterisation and noradrenaline isotope dilution methodology we examined the relationship between single-unit firing patterns and cardiac and whole body noradrenaline spillover to plasma. Participants comprised patients with hypertension (n=6), depression (n=7) and panic disorder (n =9) who were drawn from our ongoing studies. The patient groups examined did not differ in their single-unit muscle sympathetic nerve firing characteristics nor in the rate of spillover of noradrenaline to plasma from the heart. The median incidence of multiple spikes per beat was 9%. Patients were stratified according to the firing pattern: low level of incidence (less than 9% incidence of multiple spikes per beat) and high level of incidence (greater than 9% incidence of multiple spikes per beat). High incidence of multiple spikes within a cardiac cycle was associated with higher firing rates (P <0.0001) and increased probability of firing (P <0.0001). Whole body noradrenaline spillover to plasma and (multi-unit) muscle sympathetic nerve activity in subjects with low incidence of multiple spikes was not different to that of those with high incidence of multiple spikes. In those with high incidence of multiple spikes there occurred a parallel activation of the sympathetic outflow to the heart, with cardiac noradrenaline spillover to plasma being two times that of subjects with low nerve firing rates (11.0 ± 1.5 vs. 22.0 ± 4.5 ng min⁻¹, P <0.05). This study indicates that multiple within-burst firing and increased single-unit firing rates of the sympathetic outflow to the skeletal muscle vasculature is associated with high cardiac noradrenaline spillover.
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| 8. |
- Morais de Lima, Ana Paula, et al.
(författare)
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Framework for Planning and Evaluation of Nature-Based Solutions for Water in Peri-Urban Areas
- 2022
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Ingår i: Sustainability. - : MDPI. - 2071-1050. ; 14:13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent efforts to achieve social, economic, and environmental goals related to sustainability emphasize the importance of nature-based solutions (NBS), as grey infrastructure alone is insufficient to address current challenges. The majority of frameworks proposed in the literature fail to address the full potential of NBS, neglecting long-term results, unintended consequences, co-benefits, and their contribution to achieving global environmental agreements, such as the Agenda 2030, especially for water management in a peri-urban context. Here we present an innovative framework that can be applied to both NBS project planning and evaluation for several water-based challenges, giving practitioners and researchers a tool not only to evaluate ongoing projects but also to guide new ones. The framework considers three main stages of a NBS project: (1) context assessment, (2) NBS implementation and adaptation process, and (3) NBS results. This tool has the potential to be used to evaluate whether NBS projects are aligned with sustainability dimensions through a set of adaptable sustainability indicators. The framework can also highlight how the NBS targets are related to the sustainable development goals (SGD) and contribute to catalyzing the 2030 Agenda. The framework is an important tool for water management and other NBS types.
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