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- 2019
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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- Ballesteros, Soledad, et al.
(författare)
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A randomized controlled trial of brain training with non-action video games in older adults : results of the 3-month follow-up
- 2015
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1663-4365. ; 7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This randomized controlled study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02007616)investigated the maintenance of training effects of 20 1-hr non-action video gametraining sessions with selected games from a commercial package on several agedecliningcognitive functions and subjective wellbeing after a 3-month no-contactperiod. Two groups of cognitively normal older adults participated in both the posttraining(posttest) and the present follow-up study, the experimental group who receivedtraining and the control group who attended several meetings with the research teamduring the study but did not receive training. Groups were similar at baseline ondemographics, vocabulary, global cognition, and depression status. Significant improvements in the trained group, and no variation in the control group had been previously found at posttest, in processing speed, attention and visual recognition memory, as well as in two dimensions of subjective wellbeing. In the current study, improvement from baseline to 3 months follow-up was found only in wellbeing (Affection and Assertivity dimensions) in the trained group whereas there was no change in the control group. Previous significant improvements in processing speed, attentionand spatial memory become nonsignificant after the 3-month interval. Training olderadults with non-action video games enhanced aspects of cognition just after training butthis effect disappeared after a 3-month no-contact follow-up period. Cognitive plasticitycan be induced in older adults by training, but to maintain the benefits periodic boosting sessions would be necessary.
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- Ballesteros, Soledad, et al.
(författare)
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Brain training with non-action video games enhances aspects of cognition in older adults : a randomized controlled trial
- 2014
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1663-4365. ; 6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Age-related cognitive and brain declines can result in functional deterioration in many cognitive domains, dependency, and dementia. A major goal of aging research is to investigate methods that help to maintain brain health, cognition, independent living and wellbeing in older adults. This randomized controlled study investigated the effects of 20 1-hr non-action video game training sessions with games selected from a commercially available package (Lumosity) on a series of age-declined cognitive functions and subjective wellbeing. Two groups of healthy older adults participated in the study, the experimental group who received the training and the control group who attended two meetings with the research team along the study. Groups were similar at baseline on demographics, vocabulary, global cognition, and depression status. All participants were assessed individually before and after the intervention, or a similar period of time, using neuropsychological tests and laboratory tasks to investigate possible transfer effects. The results showed significant improvements in the trained group, and no variation in the control group, in processing speed (choice reaction time), attention (reduction of distraction and increase of alertness), immediate and delayed visual recognition memory, as well as a trend to improve in Affection and Assertivity, two dimensions of the Wellbeing Scale. Visuospatial working memory (WM) and executive control (shifting strategy) did not improve. Overall, the current results support the idea that training healthy older adults with non-action video games will enhance some cognitive abilities but not others.
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- Bring, Arvid, et al.
(författare)
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Contrasting Hydroclimatic Model-Data Agreements Over the Nordic-Arctic Region
- 2019
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Ingår i: Earth's Future. - : John Wiley and Sons Inc. - 2328-4277. ; 7:12, s. 1270-1282
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rapid changes in high-latitude hydroclimate have important implications for human societies and environment. Previous studies of different regions have indicated better agreement between climate model results and observation data for the thermodynamic variable of surface air temperature (T) than for the water variables of precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), and runoff (R). Here we compare climate model output with observations for 64 Nordic and Arctic hydrological basins of different sizes, and for the whole region combined. We find an unexpectedly high agreement between models and observations for R, about as high as the model-observation agreement for T and distinctly higher than that for P or ET. Model-observation agreement for R and T is also consistently higher on the whole-region scale than individual basin scales. In contrast, model-observation agreement for P and ET is overall lower, and for some error measures also lower for the whole region than for individual basins of various scales. Region-specific soil freeze-thaw bias of climate models can at least partly explain the low model-observation agreement for P and ET, while leaving modeled R relatively unaffected. Thereby, model projections for this region may be similarly reliable and directly useful for large-scale average conditions of R as of T.
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- Bring, Arvid, et al.
(författare)
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Implications of freshwater flux data from the CMIP5 multimodel output across a set of Northern Hemisphere drainage basins
- 2015
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Ingår i: EARTHS FUTURE. - 2328-4277. ; 3:6, s. 206-217
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The multimodel ensemble of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Phase 5 (CMIP5) synthesizes the latest research in global climate modeling. The freshwater system on land, particularly runoff, has so far been of relatively low priority in global climate models, despite the societal and ecosystem importance of freshwater changes, and the science and policy needs for such model output on drainage basin scales. Here we investigate the implications of CMIP5 multimodel ensemble output data for the freshwater system across a set of drainage basins in the Northern Hemisphere. Results of individual models vary widely, with even ensemble mean results differing greatly from observations and implying unrealistic long-term systematic changes in water storage and level within entire basins. The CMIP5 projections of basin-scale freshwater fluxes differ considerably more from observations and among models for the warm temperate study basins than for the Arctic and cold temperate study basins. In general, the results call for concerted research efforts and model developments for improving the understanding and modeling of the freshwater system and its change drivers. Specifically, more attention to basin-scale water flux analyses should be a priority for climate model development, and an important focus for relevant model-based advice for adaptation to climate change.
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- Chen, Yuanying
(författare)
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Land-Sea Interactions in the Coastal-Marine System of the Baltic Sea under Hydro-Climatic Variability
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This thesis investigates a few important component processes for understanding and quantifying eutrophication in the Baltic Sea, that include characterization of nutrient loadings from land, water flow in the sea under changing climate conditions and transport of solutes originating from different locations along the coast. Furthermore, this study aims to improve our understanding on how processes from land (the nutrient loading conditions) and the sea (transport dynamics and water quality) couple to determine the fate of nutrients in the sea and the water quality in a selected localized coastal area, the Himmerfjärden Bay.Comprehensive data are compiled as a basis for numerical simulations. An open source tool for oceanographic studies FVCOM is used to simulate flow and transport processes in the Baltic Sea. Hydrodynamic simulations are verified in terms of temperature, salinity and water level for the year 2005. Results show that most of the investigated Swedish watersheds along the coastline are dominated by subsurface legacy sources, the loads of which are positively and linearly correlated with river discharges. Moreover, subsurface legacy sources are less likely to decrease over time compared with the current surface sources. The Baltic Sea has a stable flow structure considering flux directions between basins, while the flux magnitudes between basins are mainly determined by different wind conditions. The spreading patterns in the sea with solute released from different coastal areas are similar when the released amounts are comparable, even though different cases have different source input and water flow conditions. The overall spreading patterns in the sea are generally dominated by the total mass of released solute. Local transport dynamics and patterns around the coast differ greatly for different cases and are determined by the local flow conditions. Different water quality indicators are influenced by different land-based or sea-based measures for water quality improvement. The dry-cold hydro-climatic condition is the most favorable for improving the water quality and elevating the ecological status in the Himmerfjärden Bay.Based on this investigation, varying hydro-climatic factors impose important influence on the different component processes of nutrient loading from land to the sea. For example, the change of river discharges from land in the future would influence the total load into the sea from subsurface legacy sources, and finally influence the general spreading patterns of nutrients in the sea. The change of wind conditions would affect the flow and transport dynamics at local scale and flow fluxes magnitudes between marine basins at the sea scale. Change towards a dry-cold condition would be beneficial for the water quality and lead to improvement of coastal water quality, while the change towards a wet-warm condition will be generally unfavorable for improving the water quality. Clearly more comprehensive studies are needed based on the component processes considered in this thesis, for mapping water quality and eutrophication long-term trends in the Baltic Sea with confidence that is sufficient for effective mitigation measures and policies.
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- Chen, Yuanying, et al.
(författare)
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Nutrient source attribution : Quantitative typology distinction of active and legacy source contributions to waterborne loads
- 2021
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Ingår i: Hydrological Processes. - : Wiley. - 0885-6087 .- 1099-1085. ; 35:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Distinction between active and legacy sources of nutrients is needed for effective reduction of waterborne nutrient loads and associated eutrophication. This study quantifies main typological differences in nutrient load behaviour versus water discharge for active and legacy sources. This quantitative typology is used for source attribution based on monitoring data for water discharge and concentrations of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) from 37 catchments draining into the Baltic Sea along the coastline of Sweden over the period 2003-2013. Results indicate dominant legacy source contributions to the monitored loads of TN and TP in most (33 of the total 37) study catchments. Dominant active sources are indicated in 1 catchment for TN, and mixed sources are indicated in 3 catchments for TN, and 4 catchments for TP. The TN and TP concentration contributions are quantified to be overall higher from the legacy than the active sources. Legacy concentrations also correlate well with key indicators of human activity in the catchments, agricultural land share for TN (R-2 = 0.65) and population density for TP (R-2 = 0.56). Legacy-dominated nutrient concentrations also change more slowly than in catchments with dominant active or mixed sources. Various data-based results and indications converge in indicating legacy source contributions as largely dominant, mainly anthropogenic, and with near-zero average change trends in the present study of catchments draining into the Baltic Sea along the coastline of Sweden, as in other parts of the world. These convergent indications emphasize needs to identify and map the different types of sources in each catchment, and differentiate strategies and measures to target each source type for possible achievement of shorter- and longer-term goals of water quality improvement.
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10. |
- Coronado, Liani, et al.
(författare)
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Positive selection pressure on E2 protein of classical swine fever virus drives variations in virulence, pathogenesis and antigenicity : implication for epidemiological surveillance in endemic areas
- 2019
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Ingår i: Transboundary and Emerging Diseases. - : Blackwell Verlag. - 1865-1674 .- 1865-1682. ; 66:6, s. 2362-2382
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Classical swine fever (CSF), caused by CSF virus (CSFV), is considered one of the most important infectious diseases with devasting consequences for the pig industry. Recent reports describe the emergence of new CSFV-strains resulting from the action of positive selection pressure, due mainly to the bottleneck effect generated by ineffective vaccination. Even though a decrease in the genetic diversity of the positive selected CSFV-strains has been observed by several research groups, there is little information about the effect of this selective force on the virulence degree, antigenicity and pathogenicity of this type of strains. Hence, the aim of the current study was to determine the effect of the positive selection pressure on these three parameters of CSFV-strains, emerged as result of the bottleneck effects induced by unproper vaccination in a CSF-endemic area. Moreover, the effect of the positive selected strains on the epidemiological surveillance system was assessed. By the combination of in vitro, in vivo and immunoinformatic approaches we revealed that the action of the positive selection pressure induces a decrease in virulence and alteration in pathogenicity and antigenicity. However, we also noted that the evolutionary process of CSFV, especially in segregated microenvironments, could contribute to the gain-fitness event, restoring the highly virulent pattern of the circulating strains. Besides, we denoted that the presence of low virulent strains selected by bottleneck effect after inefficient vaccination can lead to a relevant challenge for the epidemiological surveillance of CSF, contributing to under-reports of the disease, favoring the perpetuation of the virus in the field. In this study B-cell and CTL epitopes on the E2 3D-structure model were also identified. Thus, the current study provides novel and significant insights into variation in virulence, pathogenesis and antigenicity experienced by CSFV strains after the positive selection pressure effect.
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