| 1. |
- Chapman, Henry N, et al.
(författare)
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Femtosecond X-ray protein nanocrystallography.
- 2011
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 470:7332, s. 73-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- X-ray crystallography provides the vast majority of macromolecular structures, but the success of the method relies on growing crystals of sufficient size. In conventional measurements, the necessary increase in X-ray dose to record data from crystals that are too small leads to extensive damage before a diffraction signal can be recorded. It is particularly challenging to obtain large, well-diffracting crystals of membrane proteins, for which fewer than 300 unique structures have been determined despite their importance in all living cells. Here we present a method for structure determination where single-crystal X-ray diffraction 'snapshots' are collected from a fully hydrated stream of nanocrystals using femtosecond pulses from a hard-X-ray free-electron laser, the Linac Coherent Light Source. We prove this concept with nanocrystals of photosystem I, one of the largest membrane protein complexes. More than 3,000,000 diffraction patterns were collected in this study, and a three-dimensional data set was assembled from individual photosystem I nanocrystals (∼200nm to 2μm in size). We mitigate the problem of radiation damage in crystallography by using pulses briefer than the timescale of most damage processes. This offers a new approach to structure determination of macromolecules that do not yield crystals of sufficient size for studies using conventional radiation sources or are particularly sensitive to radiation damage.
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| 2. |
- Kjær, Kurt H., et al.
(författare)
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A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Nature. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 612:7939, s. 283-291
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Late Pliocene and Early Pleistocene epochs 3.6 to 0.8 million years ago1 had climates resembling those forecasted under future warming2. Palaeoclimatic records show strong polar amplification with mean annual temperatures of 11–19 °C above contemporary values3,4. The biological communities inhabiting the Arctic during this time remain poorly known because fossils are rare5. Here we report an ancient environmental DNA6 (eDNA) record describing the rich plant and animal assemblages of the Kap København Formation in North Greenland, dated to around two million years ago. The record shows an open boreal forest ecosystem with mixed vegetation of poplar, birch and thuja trees, as well as a variety of Arctic and boreal shrubs and herbs, many of which had not previously been detected at the site from macrofossil and pollen records. The DNA record confirms the presence of hare and mitochondrial DNA from animals including mastodons, reindeer, rodents and geese, all ancestral to their present-day and late Pleistocene relatives. The presence of marine species including horseshoe crab and green algae support a warmer climate than today. The reconstructed ecosystem has no modern analogue. The survival of such ancient eDNA probably relates to its binding to mineral surfaces. Our findings open new areas of genetic research, demonstrating that it is possible to track the ecology and evolution of biological communities from two million years ago using ancient eDNA.
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| 3. |
- Abbott, Benjamin W., et al.
(författare)
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Biomass offsets little or none of permafrost carbon release from soils, streams, and wildfire : an expert assessment
- 2016
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Ingår i: Environmental Research Letters. - : IOP Publishing. - 1748-9326. ; 11:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As the permafrost region warms, its large organic carbon pool will be increasingly vulnerable to decomposition, combustion, and hydrologic export. Models predict that some portion of this release will be offset by increased production of Arctic and boreal biomass; however, the lack of robust estimates of net carbon balance increases the risk of further overshooting international emissions targets. Precise empirical or model-based assessments of the critical factors driving carbon balance are unlikely in the near future, so to address this gap, we present estimates from 98 permafrost-region experts of the response of biomass, wildfire, and hydrologic carbon flux to climate change. Results suggest that contrary to model projections, total permafrost-region biomass could decrease due to water stress and disturbance, factors that are not adequately incorporated in current models. Assessments indicate that end-of-the-century organic carbon release from Arctic rivers and collapsing coastlines could increase by 75% while carbon loss via burning could increase four-fold. Experts identified water balance, shifts in vegetation community, and permafrost degradation as the key sources of uncertainty in predicting future system response. In combination with previous findings, results suggest the permafrost region will become a carbon source to the atmosphere by 2100 regardless of warming scenario but that 65%-85% of permafrost carbon release can still be avoided if human emissions are actively reduced.
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| 4. |
- Andresen, Louise C., 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Shifting Impacts of Climate Change: Long-Term Patterns of Plant Response to Elevated CO2, Drought, and Warming Across Ecosystems
- 2016
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Ingår i: Large-Scale Ecology: Model Systems to Global Perspectives. - : Elsevier. - 9780081009352 ; , s. 437-473
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Field experiments that expose terrestrial ecosystems to climate change factors by manipulations are expensive to maintain, and typically only last a few years. Plant biomass is commonly used to assess responses to climate treatments and to predict climate change impacts. However, response to the treatments might be considerably different between the early years and a decade later. The aim of this data analysis was to develop and apply a method for evaluating changes in plant biomass responses through time, in order to provide a firm basis for discussing how the ‘short-term’ response might differ from the ‘long-term’ response. Across 22 sites situated in the northern hemisphere, which covered three continents, and multiple ecosystems (grasslands, shrublands, moorlands, forests, and deserts), we evaluated biomass datasets from long-term experiments with exposure to elevated CO2 (eCO2), warming, or drought. We developed methods for assessing biomass response patterns to the manipulations using polynomial and linear (piecewise) model analysis and linked the responses to sitespecific variables such as temperature and rainfall. Polynomial patterns across sites indicated changes in response direction over time under eCO2, warming, and drought. In addition, five distinct pattern types were confirmed within sites: ‘no response’, ‘delayed response’, ‘directional response’, ‘dampening response’, and ‘altered response’ patterns. We found that biomass response direction was as likely to change over time as it was to be consistent, and therefore suggest that climate manipulation experiments should be carried out over timescales covering both short- and long-term responses, in order to realistically assess future impacts of climate change.
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| 5. |
- Baun, Michael, et al.
(författare)
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Pharmacological characterization and expression of VIP and PACAP receptors in isolated cranial arteries of the rat
- 2011
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Ingår i: European Journal of Pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-0712 .- 0014-2999. ; 670:1, s. 186-194
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide (PACAP) are potent vasodilators in animals and humans. PACAP infusion but not VIP infusion precipitates migraine attacks in migraine patients. The vascular effects of VIP and the two varieties of PACAP (PACAP-27 and PACAP-38) were investigated versus selective antagonists in segments of rat middle cerebral arteries (MCA), basilar arteries (BA) and middle meningeal arteries (MMA) using myographs. The luminal and abluminal effects of VIP were studied using perfusion myograph. mRNA expression of the relevant receptors (VPAC(1), VPAC(2) and PAC(1)) was examined by in situ hybridization. There was no significant difference in relaxant potency of the peptides in the MCA. In BA the relaxant potency was VIP>PACAP-27 = PACAP-38. Relaxant responses were either absent or very weak in MMA. VIP was found to be somewhat more potent in BA than in the MCA. Maxadilan, a selective PAC(1)-receptor agonist, showed no relaxant effect in either vessel. The VPAC(2)-antagonist PG 99-465 alone proved ineffective in the MCA, while it had a weak effect on BA. The VPAC(1)-antagonist PG 97269 inhibited relaxation induced by both VIP and the PACAPs in cerebral vessels. In combination, the two antagonists demonstrated better effect than either alone. VIP applied luminally via perfusion myograph caused no dilatation, indicating lack of endothelial involvement. In situ hybridization demonstrated the presence of mRNA for all three receptors in the smooth muscle cells of the vessels. In conclusion, migraine-like headache induced by PACAP-38 infusion is unlikely to be caused by direct vasodilator action on intracranial vessels. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(författare)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.522.7) and 16.5 cm (13.319.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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| 7. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(författare)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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Ingår i: eLIFE. - : eLife Sciences Publications Ltd. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.5–22.7) and 16.5 cm (13.3– 19.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8– 144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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| 8. |
- Björkman, Ingeborg, et al.
(författare)
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Developing the role of the drug and therapeutics committees : Perceptions of chairs
- 2007
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Ingår i: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. - : Emerald. - 0952-6862. ; 20:2, s. 161-178
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose – According to Swedish law, every county is required to have a local drug and therapeutics committee (DTC) to contribute to safe and cost-effective drug use. The law presents merely a framework and gives no detailed instructions addressing, for example, organisation and methods. The aim of this study is to explore the variation of conceptions of the role of the DTCs among committee Chairs and to compare the results with an earlier study. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected by questionnaires and telephone interviews with committee chairs, which were analysed using a phenomenographic approach. Findings – Four conceptions were identified, namely: traditional, patient-aware, influential, holistic and cooperative, which all involved prescribers. In one conception the DTC acted as an expert to decision-makers. One conception included the notion that cooperation across the bureaucratic borders was important. Patients were involved in two conceptions. Comparison with the earlier study showed a trend toward higher patient awareness and a higher agreement on DTC goals with an increased focus on quality issues. Originality/value – This study demonstrates an alternative research method bringing in new perspectives when exploring activities within healthcare. Patient involvement in the work of the DTCs is increasing, but should be further explored and developed.
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| 9. |
- Björkman, Ingeborg, et al.
(författare)
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The role of drug and therapeutics committees : Perceptions of chairs and information officers
- 2005
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Ingår i: International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. - : Emerald. - 0952-6862. ; 18:4, s. 235-48
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose – Improved quality and safety in drug use is a public health goal of major importance. In Sweden, local drug and therapeutics committees (DTCs) have adopted the task of working for safe and rational drug use. This study aimed to explore how chairs conceived the role of the DTCs, to explore how information officers conceived their own role, and to determine whether the respondents included patients in their answers. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using questionnaires and the answers were analysed according to phenomenographic method to identify conceptions. “Patient awareness” was studied by content analysis. Findings – In both groups the prescribers were the focus of attention, and only a few respondents mentioned patients. A variation of four conceptions was found among chairs and three among information officers. It would be beneficial if DTCs used this knowledge in their development. Originality/value – The importance of “patient awareness” within DTCs must be further explored.
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| 10. |
- Cornelissen, Johannes H C, et al.
(författare)
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Global negative vegetation feedback to climate warming responses of leaf litter decomposition rates in cold biomes
- 2007
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Ingår i: Ecology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1461-023X .- 1461-0248. ; 10:7, s. 619-627
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Whether climate change will turn cold biomes from large long-term carbon sinks into sources is hotly debated because of the great potential for ecosystem-mediated feedbacks to global climate. Critical are the direction, magnitude and generality of climate responses of plant litter decomposition. Here, we present the first quantitative analysis of the major climate-change-related drivers of litter decomposition rates in cold northern biomes worldwide.Leaf litters collected from the predominant species in 33 global change manipulation experiments in circum-arctic-alpine ecosystems were incubated simultaneously in two contrasting arctic life zones. We demonstrate that longer-term, large-scale changes to leaf litter decomposition will be driven primarily by both direct warming effects and concomitant shifts in plant growth form composition, with a much smaller role for changes in litter quality within species. Specifically, the ongoing warming-induced expansion of shrubs with recalcitrant leaf litter across cold biomes would constitute a negative feedback to global warming. Depending on the strength of other (previously reported) positive feedbacks of shrub expansion on soil carbon turnover, this may partly counteract direct warming enhancement of litter decomposition.
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