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- Graco-Roza, Caio, et al.
(författare)
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Distance decay 2.0 – A global synthesis of taxonomic and functional turnover in ecological communities
- 2022
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Ingår i: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 31:7, s. 1399-1421
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: Understanding the variation in community composition and species abundances (i.e., beta-diversity) is at the heart of community ecology. A common approach to examine beta-diversity is to evaluate directional variation in community composition by measuring the decay in the similarity among pairs of communities along spatial or environmental distance. We provide the first global synthesis of taxonomic and functional distance decay along spatial and environmental distance by analysing 148 datasets comprising different types of organisms and environments.Location: Global.Time period: 1990 to present.Major taxa studied: From diatoms to mammals.Method: We measured the strength of the decay using ranked Mantel tests (Mantel r) and the rate of distance decay as the slope of an exponential fit using generalized linear models. We used null models to test whether functional similarity decays faster or slower than expected given the taxonomic decay along the spatial and environmental distance. We also unveiled the factors driving the rate of decay across the datasets, including latitude, spatial extent, realm and organismal features.Results: Taxonomic distance decay was stronger than functional distance decay along both spatial and environmental distance. Functional distance decay was random given the taxonomic distance decay. The rate of taxonomic and functional spatial distance decay was fastest in the datasets from mid-latitudes. Overall, datasets covering larger spatial extents showed a lower rate of decay along spatial distance but a higher rate of decay along environmental distance. Marine ecosystems had the slowest rate of decay along environmental distances.Main conclusions: In general, taxonomic distance decay is a useful tool for biogeographical research because it reflects dispersal-related factors in addition to species responses to climatic and environmental variables. Moreover, functional distance decay might be a cost-effective option for investigating community changes in heterogeneous environments.
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| 2. |
- Tsiantoulas, D., et al.
(författare)
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APRIL limits atherosclerosis by binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 597, s. 92-96
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease causes heart attacks and strokes, which are the leading causes of mortality worldwide(1). The formation of atherosclerotic plaques is initiated when low-density lipoproteins bind to heparan-sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs)(2) and become trapped in the subendothelial space of large and medium size arteries, which leads to chronic inflammation and remodelling of the artery wall(2). A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) is a cytokine that binds to HSPGs(3), but the physiology of this interaction is largely unknown. Here we show that genetic ablation or antibody-mediated depletion of APRIL aggravates atherosclerosis in mice. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that APRIL confers atheroprotection by binding to heparan sulfate chains of heparan-sulfate proteoglycan 2 (HSPG2), which limits the retention of low-density lipoproteins, accumulation of macrophages and formation of necrotic cores. Indeed, antibody-mediated depletion of APRIL in mice expressing heparan sulfate-deficient HSPG2 had no effect on the development of atherosclerosis. Treatment with a specific anti-APRIL antibody that promotes the binding of APRIL to HSPGs reduced experimental atherosclerosis. Furthermore, the serum levels of a form of human APRIL protein that binds to HSPGs, which we termed non-canonical APRIL (nc-APRIL), are associated independently of traditional risk factors with long-term cardiovascular mortality in patients with atherosclerosis. Our data reveal properties of APRIL that have broad pathophysiological implications for vascular homeostasis.
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| 3. |
- Gaborit, Mathieu Maël, et al.
(författare)
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Coupling FEM, bloch waves and TMM in meta poroelastic laminates
- 2018
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Ingår i: Acta Acoustica united with Acustica. - : S. Hirzel Verlag GmbH. - 1610-1928 .- 1861-9959. ; 104:2, s. 220-227
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The propagation of airborne plane waves in the presence of a meta poroelastic laminate, that is a poroelastic matrix coated with thin elastic layers at its facings and periodically-embedded with inclusions, is studied. Using the Finite Element Method (FEM) only would result in a drastic increase of the degrees of freedom due to the fine mesh required to account for the very thin coatings. Here, the approach relies on: The Bloch wave expansion of the fields in air; the modal Transfer Matrix Method to account for the coatings; and the coupling with the FEM model of the poroelastic matrix and the resonant inclusions. The model is developed for reflection and transmission problems and it can account for coatings with multiple layers. The procedure induces the addition of the Bloch coefficients in the FEM's linear system at a negligible additional computational cost. It is applied to the meta poroelastic laminates with poroelastic inclusions and rubber shell inclusions. The results are compared with those from the Multiple Scattering Theory and an excellent agreement between the methods is found. The approach offers a numerically-efficient way to account for coatings applied to meta poroelastic layers, and finds applications in industrial prototypes where coatings are widely used.
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| 5. |
- Nikisch, G, et al.
(författare)
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Cytochrome P450 and ABCB1 genetics: association with quetiapine and norquetiapine plasma and cerebrospinal fluid concentrations and with clinical response in patients suffering from schizophrenia. A pilot study
- 2011
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Ingår i: Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England). - : SAGE Publications. - 1461-7285 .- 0269-8811. ; 25:7, s. 896-907
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Variability in response to atypical antipsychotic drugs is due to genetic and environmental factors. Cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoforms are implicated in the metabolism of drugs, while the P-glycoprotein transporter (P-gp), encoded by the ABCB1 gene, may influence both the blood and brain drug concentrations. This study aimed to identify the possible associations of CYP and ABCB1 genetic polymorphisms with quetiapine and norquetiapine plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations and with response to treatment. Twenty-two patients with schizophrenia receiving 600 mg of quetiapine daily were genotyped for four CYP isoforms and ABCB1 polymorphisms. Quetiapine and norquetiapine peak plasma and CSF concentrations were measured after 4 weeks of treatment. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that ABCB1 3435C > T (rs1045642), 2677G > T (rs2032582) and 1236C > T (rs1128503) polymorphisms predicted plasma quetiapine concentrations, explaining 41% of the variability ( p = 0.001). Furthermore, the ABCB1 polymorphisms predicted 48% ( p = 0.024) of the variability of the Δ PANSS total score, with the non-carriers of the 3435TT showing higher changes in the score. These results suggest that ABCB1 genetic polymorphisms may be a predictive marker of quetiapine treatment in schizophrenia.
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