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- Culina, Antica, et al.
(author)
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Connecting the data landscape of long-term ecological studies : The SPI-Birds data hub
- 2021
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In: Journal of Animal Ecology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0021-8790 .- 1365-2656. ; 90:9, s. 2147-2160
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The integration and synthesis of the data in different areas of science is drastically slowed and hindered by a lack of standards and networking programmes. Long-term studies of individually marked animals are not an exception. These studies are especially important as instrumental for understanding evolutionary and ecological processes in the wild. Furthermore, their number and global distribution provides a unique opportunity to assess the generality of patterns and to address broad-scale global issues (e.g. climate change). To solve data integration issues and enable a new scale of ecological and evolutionary research based on long-term studies of birds, we have created the SPI-Birds Network and Database ()-a large-scale initiative that connects data from, and researchers working on, studies of wild populations of individually recognizable (usually ringed) birds. Within year and a half since the establishment, SPI-Birds has recruited over 120 members, and currently hosts data on almost 1.5 million individual birds collected in 80 populations over 2,000 cumulative years, and counting. SPI-Birds acts as a data hub and a catalogue of studied populations. It prevents data loss, secures easy data finding, use and integration and thus facilitates collaboration and synthesis. We provide community-derived data and meta-data standards and improve data integrity guided by the principles of Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), and aligned with the existing metadata languages (e.g. ecological meta-data language). The encouraging community involvement stems from SPI-Bird's decentralized approach: research groups retain full control over data use and their way of data management, while SPI-Birds creates tailored pipelines to convert each unique data format into a standard format. We outline the lessons learned, so that other communities (e.g. those working on other taxa) can adapt our successful model. Creating community-specific hubs (such as ours, COMADRE for animal demography, etc.) will aid much-needed large-scale ecological data integration.
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| 2. |
- Harboe, Morten, et al.
(author)
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Properdin binding to complement activating surfaces depends on initial C3b deposition
- 2017
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 114:4, s. E534-E539
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two functions have been assigned to properdin; stabilization of the alternative convertase, C3bBb, is well accepted, whereas the role of properdin as pattern recognition molecule is controversial. The presence of nonphysiological aggregates in purified properdin preparations and experimental models that do not allow discrimination between the initial binding of properdin and binding secondary to C3b deposition is a critical factor contributing to this controversy. In previous work, by inhibiting C3, we showed that properdin binding to zymosan and Escherichia coli is not a primary event, but rather is solely dependent on initial C3 deposition. In the present study, we found that properdin in human serum bound dose-dependently to solid-phase myeloperoxidase. This binding was dependent on C3 activation, as demonstrated by the lack of binding in human serum with the C3-inhibitor compstatin Cp40, in C3-depleted human serum, or when purified properdin is applied in buffer. Similarly, binding of properdin to the surface of human umbilical vein endothelial cells or Neisseria meningitidis after incubation with human serum was completely C3-dependent, as detected by flow cytometry. Properdin, which lacks the structural homology shared by other complement pattern recognition molecules and has its major function in stabilizing the C3bBb convertase, was found to bind both exogenous and endogenous molecular patterns in a completely C3-dependent manner. We therefore challenge the view of properdin as a pattern recognition molecule, and argue that the experimental conditions used to test this hypothesis should be carefully considered, with emphasis on controlling initial C3 activation under physiological conditions.
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| 4. |
- Abrahamsson, Victor, et al.
(author)
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Method development in inverse modeling applied to supercritical fluid extraction of lipids
- 2016
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In: Journal of Supercritical Fluids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0896-8446. ; 111, s. 14-27
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Modeling of the supercritical fluid extraction of solid materials is an important aspect in order to understand and predict the process. A comparison of two empirical models, two semi-empirical models and two mechanistic models is performed using calibration of single experiments. It is concluded that the best fit is obtained using a simple empirical expression. Furthermore, single calibrations did not generate reliable parameters with physical meaning and a methodology is proposed for inverse modeling with complete calibration using several experiments. The experimental dataset contained 29 extractions of lipids from crushed linseeds with varying temperatures, pressures and flow rates. A general rate model and a proposed extension of the hot ball model were evaluated for this purpose. The methodology includes data acquisition, model structure estimation, model calibration and a cross-validation. In general, it was found that the solubility model of Sovová outperformed the other evaluated correlations, and for the general rate model the Toth partition isotherm was also found in the top model structures. However, no generalization could be made regarding the correlations describing the Nernst diffusion layer and diffusivity.
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| 5. |
- Abrahamsson, Victor, et al.
(author)
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Multicomponent inverse modeling of supercritical fluid extraction of carotenoids, chlorophyll A, ergosterol and lipids from microalgae
- 2018
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In: Journal of Supercritical Fluids. - : Elsevier BV. - 0896-8446. ; 139, s. 53-61
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The fundamentals of analyte extractable fraction, solubility, partitioning and mass transfer resistance in supercritical fluid extraction were studied using inverse modeling. These phenomena are essential for understanding, predicting and optimizing the supercritical fluid extraction process. Carotenoids, chlorophyll A, ergosterol and total lipids were extracted from the microalgae Chlorella sp. The analytes were measured continuously in-line and on-line using UV/Vis absorption spectroscopy measurements and by evaporative light scattering detection. Various pressures, temperatures, flow rates and fractions of ethanol as a co-solvent were evaluated. The extractable fraction of carotenoids, chlorophyll A and total lipids were dependent on the co-solvent fraction in the extraction phase. The additional amount that could be extracted by using more co-solvent followed a normal distribution, indicating that analytes should not simply be categorized into weakly or strongly bound. The characteristics of diminishing extraction rates over time was accounted for by analyte partitioning rather than intra-particle diffusion limitations.
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| 6. |
- Andersson, Jonas, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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Effect of intensive lifestyle intervention on C-reactive protein in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and obesity : results from a randomized controlled trial with 5-year follow-up
- 2008
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In: Biomarkers: biochemical indicators of exposure, response, and susceptibility to chemicals. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1366-5804. ; 13:7, s. 671-679
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of metabolic and cardiovascular disease. To study the effects of lifestyle on CRP in a high-risk population we conducted a randomized controlled trial on 200 obese subjects (BMI > 27 kg m(-2)) with impaired glucose tolerance recruited from primary care settings. They were randomized to either a 1-month stay at a wellness centre focusing on diet, exercise and stress management (intervention group) or 30-60 min of oral and written information on lifestyle intervention (control group). A significant reduction of CRP was observed after 1 month and 1 year in the intervention group. They reduced their CRP levels more than the control group 1 year after intervention (p=0.004). In conclusion lifestyle intervention can decrease CRP in obese individuals with impaired glucose tolerance for up to 1 year. Further research is needed to evaluate whether the CRP level reduction translates into a decreased risk for cardiovascular morbidity.
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