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- Abrahamsson, Elin, 1983-
(författare)
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Enahanda läsning : En queer tolkning av romancegenren
- 2018
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This doctoral thesis investigates popular romance, a mass-cultural genre with a large female audience. Popular romance is often considered ”lowbrow” and is referred to by terms such as ”porn” and ”garbage”. The female reader of this so called “sentimental trash” is often portrayed as naïve and unworldly. The thesis makes this derogatory view of the genre its point of departure, to investigate what cultural understandings of gender and sexuality the critique against popular romance entails. The thesis further investigates how these conceptions of gender and sexuality deviate from and challenge a culturally promoted and normative sexuality.The thesis consists of six chapters. The first chapter describes the selection of the empirical material and the theoretical and methodological framework. The empirical material consists of the three novels in the popular series Fifty Shades of Grey and the four novels and five films in the popular series Twilight. The thesis places itself within the field of feminist cultural studies and queer theory. It makes use of the concept of masturbation (both literal and figurative) as an analytical entry point and as a method focusing on the “here and now” of romance reading.The second chapter contextualizes the study by defining the term “popular romance” and by providing a brief historical overview of the genre. Previous research on popular romance is presented and discussed in relation to the derogatory view of the genre.The third chapter studies the Swedish media commentaries on Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight to define how the rejected romance reader is conceptualized, and how this romance reader is presumed to be reading. This “romance reader” is thereafter discussed in relation to the Western historical discourse on masturbation, “female illness” and (women’s) private reading. The chapter closes with a discussion on the form of reading that the romance reader is associated with. This self-immersed, excessive and over-invested reading form is defined as “masturbatory”.The fourth chapter explores the act of romance reading when defined as a sexual activity. The romance community is compared to the “second wave” feminism of the 1970s in order to demonstrate how the genre establishes a separatist female community where relations, positions, and identifications are in motion, revealing both homoerotic and autoerotic elements to this homosocial context.In the fifth chapter, a close reading of the material is performed with a focus on the “here and now” of the reading situation. The dichotomy of desiring subject and desired object is problematized in relation to looks and gaze. The thesis argues that the romance text uses detailed and intimate descriptions to instill a sexual charge and to freeze the flow of the storyline in order to make room for constant erotic contemplation. These “frozen moments” and the repetitiveness of the genre are discussed in relation to theories of queer temporality. The romance text constructs a room “outside of time” that privileges the overwhelming pleasures of the “here and now”. This liminal room is not only available for the heroine and hero of the story, but for the romance reader as well.The sixth and final chapter ties together the main arguments of the thesis in an overarching discussion on how conceiving romance reading as a form of masturbation challenges previous research on popular romance and the gendering of and contempt for mass culture.
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- Barrio, Isabel C., et al.
(författare)
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Background invertebrate herbivory on dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa-nana complex) increases with temperature and precipitation across the tundra biome
- 2017
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Ingår i: Polar Biology. - : Springer. - 0722-4060 .- 1432-2056. ; 40:11, s. 2265-2278
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic, low intensity herbivory by invertebrates, termed background herbivory, has been understudied in tundra, yet its impacts are likely to increase in a warmer Arctic. The magnitude of these changes is however hard to predict as we know little about the drivers of current levels of invertebrate herbivory in tundra. We assessed the intensity of invertebrate herbivory on a common tundra plant, the dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa-nana complex), and investigated its relationship to latitude and climate across the tundra biome. Leaf damage by defoliating, mining and gall-forming invertebrates was measured in samples collected from 192 sites at 56 locations. Our results indicate that invertebrate herbivory is nearly ubiquitous across the tundra biome but occurs at low intensity. On average, invertebrates damaged 11.2% of the leaves and removed 1.4% of total leaf area. The damage was mainly caused by external leaf feeders, and most damaged leaves were only slightly affected (12% leaf area lost). Foliar damage was consistently positively correlated with mid-summer (July) temperature and, to a lesser extent, precipitation in the year of data collection, irrespective of latitude. Our models predict that, on average, foliar losses to invertebrates on dwarf birch are likely to increase by 6-7% over the current levels with a 1 degrees C increase in summer temperatures. Our results show that invertebrate herbivory on dwarf birch is small in magnitude but given its prevalence and dependence on climatic variables, background invertebrate herbivory should be included in predictions of climate change impacts on tundra ecosystems.
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- Barrio, Isabel C., et al.
(författare)
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Publisher Correction to : Background invertebrate herbivory on dwarf birch (Betula glandulosa-nana complex) increases with temperature and precipitation across the tundra biome (vol 40, pg 2265, 2017)
- 2018
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Ingår i: Polar Biology. - : Springer. - 0722-4060 .- 1432-2056. ; 41:8, s. 1653-1654
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The above mentioned article was originally scheduled for publication in the special issue on Ecology of Tundra Arthropods with guest editors Toke T. Hoye . Lauren E. Culler. Erroneously, the article was published in Polar Biology, Volume 40, Issue 11, November, 2017. The publisher sincerely apologizes to the guest editors and the authors for the inconvenience caused.
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- Blume-Werry, Gesche, et al.
(författare)
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Proportion of fine roots, but not plant biomass allocation below ground, increases with elevation in arctic tundra
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Vegetation Science. - : Wiley. - 1100-9233 .- 1654-1103. ; 29:2, s. 226-235
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Questions: Roots represent a considerable proportion of biomass, primary production and litter input in arctic tundra, and plant allocation of biomass to above- or below-ground tissue in response to climate change is a key factor in the future C balance of these ecosystems. According to optimality theory plants allocate C to the above- or below-ground structure that captures the most limiting resource. We used an elevational gradient to test this theory and as a space-for-time substitution to inform on tundra carbon allocation patterns under a shifting climate, by exploring if increasing elevation was positively related to the root:shoot ratio, as well as a larger plant allocation to adsorptive over storage roots.Location: Arctic tundra heath dominated by Empetrum hermaphroditum close to Abisko, Sweden.Methods: We measured root:shoot and fine:coarse root ratios of the plant communities along an elevational gradient by sampling above- and below-ground biomass, further separating root biomass into fine (<1 mm) and coarse roots.Results: Plant biomass was higher at the lower elevations, but the root:shoot ratio did not vary with elevation. Resource allocation to fine relative to coarse roots increased with elevation, resulting in a fine:coarse root ratio that more than doubled with increasing elevation.Conclusions: Contrary to previous works, the root:shoot ratio along this elevational gradient remained stable. However, communities along our study system were dominated by the same species at each elevation, which suggests that when changes in the root:shoot ratio occur with elevation these changes may be driven by differences in allocation patterns among species and thus turnover in plant community structure. Our results further reveal that the allocation of biomass to fine relative to coarse roots can differ between locations along an elevational gradient, even when overall above- vs below-ground biomass allocation does not. Given the functionally different roles of fine vs coarse roots this could have large implications for below-ground C cycling. Our results highlight the importance of direct effects vs indirect effects (such as changes in plant community composition and nutrient availability) of climate change for future C allocation above and below ground.
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- Bommenel, Elin, et al.
(författare)
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När historiska händelser får samtidens uppmärksamhet - historikerns roll och relationer till brukare och journalister
- 2022
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Då och då uppmärksammar massmedia så kallade historiska skandaler såsom sterilisering, vanvård inom den sociala barnavården, höga dödstal på sinnessjukhus eller behandling av minoritetsbefolkningar. Sådan massmedial uppmärksamhet bidrar ibland till diskussioner i nutida samhällsdebatt om välfärdsstatens roll, om svek till individer i utsatta positioner och om vägar till upprättelse.I sådana sammanhang kan historiker bidra med kunskap och perspektiv, och i den rollen har historiker ofta kontakt med journalister och brukare vilket kan vara berikande men också utmanande. Utmaningarna kan handla om att nå ut och nå fram med reflektioner om komplexa skeenden, om förändrade samhälleliga värderingar, strukturer och synsätt som kan bidra till förklaringar av det som med dagens blick tycks obegripligt. Frågan är hur relevant detta upplevs i en kontext där individer söker svar på varför livet blev som det blev och journalister (ibland) söker säljande scoop.Utifrån egna erfarenheter som historiker som forskar om frågor som får utrymme i dagens samhällsdebatt vill vi i detta rundabordssamtal diskutera historikerns roll och relationer till brukare och journalister. Våra erfarenheter rymmer både engagerade brukare som vill använda forskning som ett argument i en upprättelseprocess till brukare som inte vill medverka i forskning överhuvudtaget. Vi har upplevt journalister som medvetet bortser från den forskning vi redovisar till ambitiösa journalister som stämmer av resultat och formuleringar.Vi har mycket att vinna på goda relationer mellan historiker, brukare och journalister – men hur skapar vi dessa? Hur når vi ut med vår forskning? Hur kan historiker bidra i samtida diskussioner? Hur behåller vi vår professionella integritet i samarbete med brukare? Hur hanterar vi massmedia när vår kunskap åsidosätts? Dessa frågor vill vi diskutera utifrån erfarenheter bland nordiska historiker.
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- Brönnimann, Stefan, et al.
(författare)
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Unlocking Pre-1850 Instrumental Meteorological Records : A Global Inventory
- 2019
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Ingår i: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 100:12, s. ES389-ES413
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Instrumental meteorological measurements from periods prior to the start of national weather services are designated early instrumental data. They have played an important role in climate research as they allow daily to decadal variability and changes of temperature, pressure, and precipitation, including extremes, to be addressed. Early instrumental data can also help place twenty-first century climatic changes into a historical context such as defining preindustrial climate and its variability. Until recently, the focus was on long, high-quality series, while the large number of shorter series (which together also cover long periods) received little to no attention. The shift in climate and climate impact research from mean climate characteristics toward weather variability and extremes, as well as the success of historical reanalyses that make use of short series, generates a need for locating and exploring further early instrumental measurements. However, information on early instrumental series has never been electronically compiled on a global scale. Here we attempt a worldwide compilation of metadata on early instrumental meteorological records prior to 1850 (1890 for Africa and the Arctic). Our global inventory comprises information on several thousand records, about half of which have not yet been digitized (not even as monthly means), and only approximately 20% of which have made it to global repositories. The inventory will help to prioritize data rescue efforts and can be used to analyze the potential feasibility of historical weather data products. The inventory will be maintained as a living document and is a first, critical, step toward the systematic rescue and reevaluation of these highly valuable early records. Additions to the inventory are welcome.
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- Davies, Roy, et al.
(författare)
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Three applications of virtual reality for brain injury rehabilitation of daily tasks
- 2002
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Disability, Virtual Reality & Associated Technologies. - 0704911434 ; , s. 93-100
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Part of the process of rehabilitation after a brain injury is the relearning of various daily tasks such as preparing food, managing finances, getting from one place to another and so forth. These tasks require learning on all levels from physical to cognitive. Remembering a PIN code for a bank card, for example, can become automatic and ‘in the fingers’ after much repetition. However, other tasks require a certain cognitive process, for example, procedures must be followed, quantities estimated, numbers of items remembered or dangerous situations avoided. Even in these cases, repetition of the task many times can help fix the important aspects in the mind. This paper describes three applications of a Virtual Reality based method of rehabilitation which are a part of a larger project to investigate the potential and pitfalls of Virtual Reality technology as a complement to physical training in Brain Injury Rehabilitation. Virtual Reality has the advantage of providing a safe, controlled and highly repeatable environment that a patient can experience in a relaxed manner before having to encounter the potentially dangerous or stressful real environment. The three applications considered here are: kitchen work, an automatic teller machine (ATM) and finding ones way in a complex environment.
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- Forsell, Erik, et al.
(författare)
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Internet delivered cognitive behavior therapy for antenatal depression : A randomised controlled trial
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - Amsterdam, Netherlands : Elsevier. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 221, s. 56-64
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Major depression occurs in 5-10% of pregnancies and is associated with many negative effects for mother and child, yet treatment options are scarce. To our knowledge, this is the first published randomised controlled trial on Internet delivered Cognitive Behavior Therapy (ICBT) for this group.Objective: To test the efficacy of a pregnancy adapted version of an existing 10-week ICBT-program for depression as well as assessing acceptability and adherence.Design: Randomised controlled trial.Setting: Online and telephone.Population or sample: Self-referred pregnant women (gestational week 10-28 at intake) currently suffering from major depressive disorder.Methods: 42 pregnant women (gestational week 12-28) with major depression were randomised to either treatment as usual (TAU) provided at their antenatal clinic or to ICBT as an add-on to usual care.Main outcome measures: The primary outcome was depressive symptoms measured with the Montgomery-Asberg depression rating scale-self report (MADRS-S). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and measures of anxiety and sleep were used. Credibility, satisfaction, adherence and utilization were also assessed.Results: The ICBT group had significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms post treatment (p < 0.001, Hedges g = 1.21) and were more likely to be responders (i.e. achieve a statistically reliable improvement) (RR = 0.36; p = 0.004). Measures of treatment credibility, satisfaction, utilization, and adherence were comparable to implemented ICBT for depression.Limitations: Small sample size and no long-term evaluation.Conclusion: Pregnancy adapted ICBT for antenatal depression is feasible, acceptable and efficacious. These results need to be replicated in larger trials to validate these promising findings.
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- Hansson, Marit, et al.
(författare)
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Interleukin-22 produced by alveolar macrophages during activation of the innate immune response
- 2013
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Ingår i: Inflammation Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1023-3830 .- 1420-908X. ; 62:6, s. 561-569
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective and design Interleukin (IL)-22 is important for mucosal host defense. Whereas previous studies focus on lymphocytes as sources of IL-22, we determined whether IL-22 is produced by inflammatory cells in the lungs other than T-lymphocytes during the activation of the innate immune response. Material, methods and treatment Inflammatory cells in the lungs of Balb/c mice were primed by endotoxin (LPS, 10 μg) or peptidoglycan (PG, 40 μg) intranasally (3 days). After CD3 + cell depletion, lung homogenates were re-stimulated 24 h with LPS (100 ng/ml), PG (10 μg/ml), IL-23 (100 ng/ml) or vehicle. Human BAL macrophages were stimulated 24 h with PG (50 μg/ml) and IL-23 (100 ng/ml) or vehicle. The release of IL-22 was measured with ELISA and intracellular IL-22 with immunostaining. For statistics, either Dunnett or Students t test method was employed (n = 3–8). Results Re-stimulation in vitro increased concentrations of mouse IL-22 protein irrespective of priming in vivo. A majority of macrophages in mouse lung and BAL samples displayed immunostaining for IL-22. In analogy, human BAL macrophages released IL-22 protein, and a third of these cells displayed immunostaining for IL-22. Conclusions Alveolar macrophages can produce and release IL-22 during the activation of the innate immune response and thereby constitute a potentially important regulator of mucosal host defence in the lungs.
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