| 1. |
- Hultberg, Tove, et al.
(författare)
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Ash dieback risks an extinction cascade
- 2020
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Ingår i: Biological Conservation. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-3207 .- 1873-2917. ; 244
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Large-scale decline in populations of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) are occurring throughout Europe due to the invasive fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. This has grave ecological implications not only for ash trees, but also for the biodiversity supported by, and in some cases solely dependent on ash. Here we used data on the tree-species associations of biodiversity in Sweden, to predict extinction risks for ash-associated organisms, and the potential for combinations of other tree species to sustain ash-associated biodiversity. Of the 483 ash-associated species identified, 11% are exclusive to ash, and a further 23% prefer mainly ash. Notably, many ash-associated species are shared with wych elm (Ulmus glabra) which is similarly threatened by an invasive fungus. Considering the level of host association and the species' conservation status, 115 species were deemed at high risk of regional extinction. Using a mathematical optimization model we found that up to nine additional tree species would be needed to sustain all non-obligate ash dependent/preferring species in the absence of ash and elm. We discuss mitigation and adaption options to reduce the potential for an extinction cascade and conserve ash-associated biodiversity, but all pose unique challenges.
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| 2. |
- Rönnberg, Bengt, et al.
(författare)
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Compensating for cross-reactions using avidity and computation in a suspension multiplex immunoassay for serotyping of Zika versus other flavivirus infections
- 2017
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Ingår i: Medical Microbiology and Immmunology. - : SPRINGER. - 0300-8584 .- 1432-1831. ; 206:5, s. 383-401
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The recent spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas and Asia necessitates an increased preparedness for improved maternal and perinatal health and blood safety. However, serological cross-reactions, especially to Dengue virus (DENV), complicate ZIKV antibody serodiagnosis. A novel "pan-Flavi" suspension multiplex immunoassay (PFSMIA) using 25 antigens, whole virus (WV), non-structural protein 1 (NS1), and envelope (E) proteins, from 7 zoonotic flaviviruses for specific detection of ZIKV and DENV IgM and IgG was developed. Patterns of antibody cross-reactivity, avidity, and kinetics were established in 104 sera from returning travelers with known ZIKV and DENV infections. PFSMIA gave IgM- and IgG-sensitivities for both viruses of 96-100%, compared to an immunofluorescence assay. Main IgM cross-reactions were to NS1, for IgG to the E and WV antigens. Infecting virus yielded reactivity to several antigens of the homologous virus, while cross-reactions tended to occur only to a single antigen from heterologous virus(es). A specificity-enhancing computer procedure took into account antibody isotype, number of antibody-reactive antigens per virus, avidity, average degree of cross-reactivity to heterologous flavivirus antigens, and reactivity changes in serial sera. It classified all 50 cases correctly. Applied to sera from 200 pregnant women and 173 blood donors from Sweden, one blood donor was found ZIKV NS1 IgM positive, and another as ZIKV NS1 IgG positive. These samples did not react with other ZIKV antigens and were thereby judged as false-positives. PFSMIA provided sensitive and specific ZIKV and DENV serology, warranting high-throughput serological surveillance and a minimized need for laborious and expensive virus neutralization assays.
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| 3. |
- Rönnberg, Niklas, 1973-, et al.
(författare)
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Sonifying the periphery: Supporting the formation of gestalt in air traffic control
- 2016
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Ingår i: Proceedings of ISon 2016, 5th Interactive Sonification Workshop, CITEC, Bielefeld University, Germany, December 16, 2016. - : CITEC, Bielefeld University. ; , s. 23-27
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report a design-led exploration of sonification to provide peripheral awareness in air traffic control centers. Our assumption is that by using musical sounds for sonification of peripheral events, it is possible to create a dynamic soundscape that complements the visual information to support the formation and maintenance of an airspace Gestalt throughout the air traffic controller’s interaction. An interactive sonification concept was designed, focusing on one controlled sector of airspace with inbound and outbound aircraft. A formative assessment of the sonification concept suggests that our approach might facilitate the air traffic controller’s work by providing complementary auditory information about inbound and outbound aircraft, particularly in situations where the traffic volume is moderate to low.
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| 4. |
- Albinsson, Bo, et al.
(författare)
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Distinction between serological responses following tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection vs vaccination, Sweden 2017
- 2018
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Ingår i: Eurosurveillance. - 1025-496X .- 1560-7917. ; 23:3, s. 2-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an important European vaccine-preventable pathogen. Discrimination of vaccine-induced antibodies from those elicited by infection is important. We studied anti-TBEV IgM/IgG responses, including avidity and neutralisation, by multiplex serology in 50 TBEV patients and 50 TBEV vaccinees. Infection induced antibodies reactive to both whole virus (WV) and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) in 48 clinical cases, whereas 47 TBEV vaccinees had WV, but not NS1 antibodies, enabling efficient discrimination of infection/vaccination.
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| 5. |
- Besançon, Lonni, et al.
(författare)
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Open up: a survey on open and non-anonymized peer reviewing
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMC Research Integrity and Peer Review. - : BioMed Central. - 2058-8615. ; 5:8, s. 1-11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundOur aim is to highlight the benefits and limitations of open and non-anonymized peer review. Our argument is based on the literature and on responses to a survey on the reviewing process of alt.chi, a more or less open review track within the so-called Computer Human Interaction (CHI) conference, the predominant conference in the field of human-computer interaction. This track currently is the only implementation of an open peer review process in the field of human-computer interaction while, with the recent increase in interest in open scientific practices, open review is now being considered and used in other fields.MethodsWe ran an online survey with 30 responses from alt.chi authors and reviewers, collecting quantitative data using multiple-choice questions and Likert scales. Qualitative data were collected using open questions.ResultsOur main quantitative result is that respondents are more positive to open and non-anonymous reviewing for alt.chi than for other parts of the CHI conference. The qualitative data specifically highlight the benefits of open and transparent academic discussions. The data and scripts are available on https://osf.io/vuw7h/, and the figures and follow-up work on http://tiny.cc/OpenReviews.ConclusionWhile the benefits are quite clear and the system is generally well-liked by alt.chi participants, they remain reluctant to see it used in other venues. This concurs with a number of recent studies that suggest a divergence between support for a more open review process and its practical implementation.
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| 6. |
- Blomquist, Mimmi, et al.
(författare)
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Size matters but is big always better? Effectiveness of urea and Phlebiopsis gigantea as treatment against Heterobasidion on Picea abies stumps of variable size
- 2020
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 462
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Heterobasidion is a severe threat to coniferous forests in the northern hemisphere. Accurate forest management is needed to safeguard the economic values at stake. In this paper we investigate the efficacy of stump treatment with urea and Phlebiopsis gigantea as control treatment in Norway spruce against airborne Heterobasidion infections. The aim of this study was to examine the infection frequency, i.e. frequency of stumps infected by airborne spores, and efficacy of the stump treatments after performing precommercial thinning and final felling, representing highly variable stump diameters. Today treatment after these cuttings are not standard practice across the world.From a total of 27 Norway spruce stands in the southern and mid-regions of Sweden, five precommercial thinning stands and five final felling stands with infection frequencies higher than an economical threshold for treatment, 20%, were selected. In these stands, the efficacy of stump treatment using urea and P. gigantea against Heterobasidion spp. was assessed on stumps of variable diameter. Wooden discs from stumps were analyzed for airborne infections of Heterobasidion spp. 7-8 weeks after treatment. To evaluate the efficacy of treatments, we used the following three different measurements; infection frequency (proportion of infected stumps), relative infected stump area and number of Heterobasidion colonies per square dm, which were tested using three different statistical models each represented by an efficacy value. Overall, untreated stumps were infected to a higher extent than treated stumps, and most infections were found in untreated stumps from final fellings. Treatment with P. gigantea was more efficient for larger sized stumps than small. In precommercial thinnings, urea performed better and had higher mean efficacy values (92-94%) compared to P. gigantea (59%-72%). In final fellings there were no significant differences between the treatments, both had high efficacy values (urea 95.5-99.8% vs P. gigantea 90-98%).Our findings point at the need for accurate stump treatment after precommercial thinning and final felling, when infection rates are likely to be high. Urea seems to be more effective than the biological control agent P. gigantea in controlling Heterobasidion infections in stumps created in precommercial thinnings. We therefore recommend to use urea in precommercial thinnings if possible. In final fellings either urea or P. gigantea can be used.
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| 7. |
- Blomquist, Mimmi, et al.
(författare)
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The potential of biological control against Heterobasidion root rot is not realized in practical forestry
- 2023
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Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-1127 .- 1872-7042. ; 531
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For about 25 years, forest managers in Sweden have been treating stumps following harvesting with Phlebiopsis gigantea, retailed as Rotstop (R) S gel, against spore infections of Heterobasidion, which cause root rot in order to minimize losses in timber production. However, not all forest managers trust the efficacy of stump treatment and this fact has hindered widespread adoption of stump treatment using P. gigantea. In this study, we evaluated stump treatment in the field during commercial thinning operations across 15 sites, by assessing the degree of stump coverage and subsequent infection levels in stump discs. In total, 45 % of all stumps were infected with Heterobasidion spp.. Nineteen percent of all stumps were considered to have full (100 %) coverage by Rotstop (R) S but contractors failed to achieve the manufacturers stipulated minimum coverage (85 %) in approximately 1/3 of all stumps. Using PCR, we could only detect the presence of P. gigantea in 73 % of the tested stumps. Large variation occurred between stump coverage and the recovery of P. gigantea in wood chip samples collected from stump discs across sites. In the worst case, we detected P. gigantea in only three out of ten treated stumps at one site. Despite this discrepancy we saw a clear reduction of the size of Heterobasidion infections on stumps where stump treatment coverage was more than 85 % of the stump surface.Our results suggest that forest operators in Sweden repeatedly fail to either apply a spore solution of P. gigantea or cover enough of the stumps to provide the desired protection. The outcome of such sub-standard application, could further undermine the usage of biological control agents in forestry and limit any potential control against Heterobasidion spp..
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| 8. |
- Cleary, Michelle, et al.
(författare)
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First report of Pleuroceras pseudoplatani on Acer rubrum, A. griseum, A. saccharinurn, A. negundo, A. circinatum and A. macrophyllum in Scotland
- 2018
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Ingår i: Forestry Chronicle. - : Canadian Institute of Forestry. - 0015-7546 .- 1499-9315. ; 94, s. 147-150
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In September 2016, large necrotic lesions were observed on the foliage of several maples in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Symptoms resembled giant leaf blotch disease caused by Pleuroceras pseudoplatani (formerly Gnomonia pseudoplatani; Ophiognomia pseudoplatani) on sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus), a common disease in Europe. Other than A. pseudoplatanus, no other Acer species have previously been reported as hosts for this pathogen. Symptomatic leaves were collected from Acer rubrum, A. rubrum var. Somerset, A. griseum, A. saccharinum, A. negundo, A. macrophyllum, and A. circinatum, and the known host of P pseudoplatani, A. pseudoplatanus. Next generation sequencing was used to determine presence of the suspected P. pseudoplatani and other associated fungi in symptomatic leaves. P pseudoplatani was predominant in all symptomatic samples with 99-100% identity with reference ITS sequences of P pseudoplatani deposited in GenBank (NCBI). This is the first report of P. pseudoplatani associated with leaf blotch on Acer species other than A. pseudoplatanus. The newly reported damage on North American Acer species may be of particular concern because of the economic importance of maples for timber products, syrup production and as ornamental trees in urban landscapes. Precautions should be taken to limit trade of plants from infested areas in Europe.
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| 9. |
- Danielsson, Jonas, 1973-
(författare)
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Skräckskönt : en etnologisk studie
- 2006
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of the present study is to explore how horror movie fans use the films to gain access to certain emotions, and the discussions to which the movies give rise. Through this, I hope to attain a deeper understanding of how the horror movie fan chooses to view the genre. While horror movie fans experience a raft of emotions as they watch, this is not the whole story; they also reflect upon these emotions and question certain responses, eg. why laugh at one form of violence but not the next, or how can one killer elicit empathy in the viewer while others do not. In order to understand this popular genre I have based my thesis mainly on interviews with the actual horror film fan, here represented by 9 women and 11 men. Special emphasis in the theoretical body is placed on Bakhtin’s notion of the grotesque, a ”world turned upside-down”, and dialogical truth. The horror movie fan might be described in the same fashion – as someone who through the films he watches sees and acknowledges an alternative cultural system which is otherwise suppressed. They can experiment with ideas of other kinds of rules, norms and hierarchies than those already in place in society. The horror movie fans talk about special themes as more important than others, and these “key symbols” have helped in constructing the thesis. I have for that reason formed the analysis in the region of emotions like fear, disgust and desires, but also more intellectual discussions on film violence and evil. It is clear that a controlled sense of fear is one of the main forces sparking the initial interest the informants felt for horror and urging them forward in their quest for more. It is also clear that feelings of disgust the horror movies evoke are a part of the fans’ discussions about the world and the evil therein. The horror movie fans speak about evil as something inherent in everyone, and something which must be acknowledged in order to live a “full” life. Despite of all this I consider pure enjoyment and entertainment to be the very foundation of their shared interest, and that the horror movie fans try to make strong distinctions between “fact” and “fiction”. These conscious distinctions could also be one of the reasons that the fans find these types of movies entertaining. Those who are incapable to make these clear distinctions are therefore, more or less, unable to see the purpose of the fascination with horror narratives.
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| 10. |
- Elmquist, Elias, 1996-, et al.
(författare)
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SonAir: the design of a sonification of radar data for air traffic control
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces. - : SPRINGER. - 1783-7677 .- 1783-8738. ; 17:3, s. 137-149
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Along with the increase of digitalization and automation, a new kind of working environment is emerging in the field of air traffic control. Instead of situating the control tower at the airport, it is now possible to remotely control the airport at any given location, i.e. in a remote tower center (RTC). However, by controlling the airport remotely, the situational awareness and sense of presence might be compromised. By using directional sound, a higher situational awareness could potentially be achieved while also offloading the visual perception which is heavily used in air traffic control. Suitable use cases for sonification in air traffic control were found through workshops with air traffic controllers. A sonification design named SonAir was developed based on the outcome of the workshops, and was integrated with an RTC simulator for evaluating to what degree SonAir could support air traffic controllers in their work. The results suggest that certain aspects of SonAir could be useful for air traffic controllers. A continuous sonification where the spatial positioning of aircraft were conveyed was experienced to be partially useful, but the intrusiveness of SonAir should be further considered to fit the air traffic controllers’ needs. An earcon that conveyed when an aircraft enters the airspace and from which direction was considered useful to support situational awareness.
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