| 1. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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| 2. |
- Thomas, H. J. D., et al.
(författare)
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Global plant trait relationships extend to the climatic extremes of the tundra biome
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 2041-1723. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The majority of variation in six traits critical to the growth, survival and reproduction of plant species is thought to be organised along just two dimensions, corresponding to strategies of plant size and resource acquisition. However, it is unknown whether global plant trait relationships extend to climatic extremes, and if these interspecific relationships are confounded by trait variation within species. We test whether trait relationships extend to the cold extremes of life on Earth using the largest database of tundra plant traits yet compiled. We show that tundra plants demonstrate remarkably similar resource economic traits, but not size traits, compared to global distributions, and exhibit the same two dimensions of trait variation. Three quarters of trait variation occurs among species, mirroring global estimates of interspecific trait variation. Plant trait relationships are thus generalizable to the edge of global trait-space, informing prediction of plant community change in a warming world.
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| 3. |
- Thomas, H. J.D., et al.
(författare)
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Traditional plant functional groups explain variation in economic but not size-related traits across the tundra biome
- 2019
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Ingår i: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 28:2, s. 78-95
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 The Authors Global Ecology and Biogeography Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Plant functional groups are widely used in community ecology and earth system modelling to describe trait variation within and across plant communities. However, this approach rests on the assumption that functional groups explain a large proportion of trait variation among species. We test whether four commonly used plant functional groups represent variation in six ecologically important plant traits. Location: Tundra biome. Time period: Data collected between 1964 and 2016. Major taxa studied: 295 tundra vascular plant species. Methods: We compiled a database of six plant traits (plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, seed mass) for tundra species. We examined the variation in species-level trait expression explained by four traditional functional groups (evergreen shrubs, deciduous shrubs, graminoids, forbs), and whether variation explained was dependent upon the traits included in analysis. We further compared the explanatory power and species composition of functional groups to alternative classifications generated using post hoc clustering of species-level traits. Results: Traditional functional groups explained significant differences in trait expression, particularly amongst traits associated with resource economics, which were consistent across sites and at the biome scale. However, functional groups explained 19% of overall trait variation and poorly represented differences in traits associated with plant size. Post hoc classification of species did not correspond well with traditional functional groups, and explained twice as much variation in species-level trait expression. Main conclusions: Traditional functional groups only coarsely represent variation in well-measured traits within tundra plant communities, and better explain resource economic traits than size-related traits. We recommend caution when using functional group approaches to predict tundra ecosystem change, or ecosystem functions relating to plant size, such as albedo or carbon storage. We argue that alternative classifications or direct use of specific plant traits could provide new insight into ecological prediction and modelling.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Bower, K. N., et al.
(författare)
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ACE-2 HILLCLOUD. An overview of the ACE-2 ground-based cloud experiment
- 2000
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Ingår i: Tellus. Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology. - : Stockholm University Press. - 0280-6509. ; 52:2, s. 750-778
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ACE-2 HILLCLOUD experiment was carried out on the island of Tenerife in June-July 1997 to investigate the interaction of the boundary layer aerosol with a hill cap cloud forming over a ridge to the north-east of the island. The cloud was used as a natural flow through reactor to investigate the dependence of the cloud microphysics and chemistry on the characteristics of the aerosols and trace gases entering cloud, and to simultaneously study the influence of the physical and chemical processes occurring within the cloud on the size distribution, chemical and hygroscopic properties of the aerosol exiting cloud. 5 major ground base sites were used, measuring trace gases and aerosols upwind and downwind of the cloud, and cloud microphysics and chemistry and interstitial aerosol and gases within the cloud on the hill. 8 intensive measurement periods or runs were undertaken during cloud events, (nocturnally for seven of the eight runs) and were carried out in a wide range of airmass conditions from clean maritime to polluted continental. Polluted air was characterised by higher than average concentrations of ozone (> 50 ppbv), fine and accumulation mode aerosols (> 3000 and > 1500 cm -3 , respectively) and higher aerosol mass loadings. Cloud droplet number concentrations N, increased from 50 cm -3 in background maritime air to > 2500 cm -3 in aged polluted continental air, a concentration much higher than had previously been detected. Surprisingly, N was seen to vary almost linearly with aerosol number across this range. The droplet aerosol analyser (DAA) measured higher droplet numbers than the corrected forward scattering spectrometer probe (FSSP) in the most polluted air, but at other times there was good agreement (FSSP = 0.95 DAA with an r 2 = 0.89 for N < 1200 cm -3 ). Background ammonia gas concentrations were around 0.3 ppbv even in air originating over the ocean, another unexpected but important result for the region. NO 2 was present in background concentrations of typically 15 pptv to 100 pptv and NO 3 . (the nitrate radical) was observed at night throughout. Calculations suggest NO 3 . losses were mainly by reaction with DMS to produce nitric acid. Low concentrations of SO 2 (~30 pptv), HNO 3 and HCl were always present. HNO 3 concentrations were higher in polluted episodes and calculations implied that these exceeded those which could be accounted for by NO 2 oxidation. It is presumed that nitric and hydrochloric acids were present as a result of outgassing from aerosol, the HNO 3 from nitrate rich aerosol transported into the region from upwind of Tenerife, and HCl from sea salt aerosol newly formed at the sea surface. The oxidants hydrogen peroxide and ozone were abundant (i.e., were well in excess over SO 2 throughout the experiment). Occasions of significant aerosol growth following cloud processing were observed, particularly in cleaner cases. Observations and modelling suggested this was due mainly to the take up of nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and ammonia by the smallest activated aerosol particles. On a few occasions a small contribution was made by the in-cloud oxidation of S(IV). The implications of these results from HILLCLOUD for the climatologically more important stratocumulus Marine Boundary Layer (MBL) clouds are considered.
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| 6. |
- Björkman, Anne, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Plant functional trait change across a warming tundra biome
- 2018
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Ingår i: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 562:7725, s. 57-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The tundra is warming more rapidly than any other biome on Earth, and the potential ramifications are far-reaching because of global feedback effects between vegetation and climate. A better understanding of how environmental factors shape plant structure and function is crucial for predicting the consequences of environmental change for ecosystem functioning. Here we explore the biome-wide relationships between temperature, moisture and seven key plant functional traits both across space and over three decades of warming at 117 tundra locations. Spatial temperature–trait relationships were generally strong but soil moisture had a marked influence on the strength and direction of these relationships, highlighting the potentially important influence of changes in water availability on future trait shifts in tundra plant communities. Community height increased with warming across all sites over the past three decades, but other traits lagged far behind predicted rates of change. Our findings highlight the challenge of using space-for-time substitution to predict the functional consequences of future warming and suggest that functions that are tied closely to plant height will experience the most rapid change. They also reveal the strength with which environmental factors shape biotic communities at the coldest extremes of the planet and will help to improve projections of functional changes in tundra ecosystems with climate warming.
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| 7. |
- Björkman, Anne, 1981, et al.
(författare)
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Tundra Trait Team: A database of plant traits spanning the tundra biome
- 2018
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Ingår i: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 27:12, s. 1402-1411
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- © 2018 The Authors Global Ecology and Biogeography Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd Motivation: The Tundra Trait Team (TTT) database includes field-based measurements of key traits related to plant form and function at multiple sites across the tundra biome. This dataset can be used to address theoretical questions about plant strategy and trade-offs, trait–environment relationships and environmental filtering, and trait variation across spatial scales, to validate satellite data, and to inform Earth system model parameters. Main types of variable contained: The database contains 91,970 measurements of 18 plant traits. The most frequently measured traits (>1,000 observations each) include plant height, leaf area, specific leaf area, leaf fresh and dry mass, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus content, leaf C:N and N:P, seed mass, and stem specific density. Spatial location and grain: Measurements were collected in tundra habitats in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, including Arctic sites in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Fennoscandia and Siberia, alpine sites in the European Alps, Colorado Rockies, Caucasus, Ural Mountains, Pyrenees, Australian Alps, and Central Otago Mountains (New Zealand), and sub-Antarctic Marion Island. More than 99% of observations are georeferenced. Time period and grain: All data were collected between 1964 and 2018. A small number of sites have repeated trait measurements at two or more time periods. Major taxa and level of measurement: Trait measurements were made on 978 terrestrial vascular plant species growing in tundra habitats. Most observations are on individuals (86%), while the remainder represent plot or site means or maximums per species. Software format: csv file and GitHub repository with data cleaning scripts in R; contribution to TRY plant trait database (www.try-db.org) to be included in the next version release.
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| 8. |
- Myers-Smith, Isla H., et al.
(författare)
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Complexity revealed in the greening of the Arctic
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 10:2, s. 106-117
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As the Arctic warms, vegetation is responding, and satellite measures indicate widespread greening at high latitudes. This ‘greening of the Arctic’ is among the world’s most important large-scale ecological responses to global climate change. However, a consensus is emerging that the underlying causes and future dynamics of so-called Arctic greening and browning trends are more complex, variable and inherently scale-dependent than previously thought. Here we summarize the complexities of observing and interpreting high-latitude greening to identify priorities for future research. Incorporating satellite and proximal remote sensing with in-situ data, while accounting for uncertainties and scale issues, will advance the study of past, present and future Arctic vegetation change.
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| 9. |
- Thompson, PM, et al.
(författare)
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ENIGMA and global neuroscience: A decade of large-scale studies of the brain in health and disease across more than 40 countries
- 2020
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Ingår i: Translational psychiatry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2158-3188. ; 10:1, s. 100-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This review summarizes the last decade of work by the ENIGMA (Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium, a global alliance of over 1400 scientists across 43 countries, studying the human brain in health and disease. Building on large-scale genetic studies that discovered the first robustly replicated genetic loci associated with brain metrics, ENIGMA has diversified into over 50 working groups (WGs), pooling worldwide data and expertise to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, and genetics. Most ENIGMA WGs focus on specific psychiatric and neurological conditions, other WGs study normal variation due to sex and gender differences, or development and aging; still other WGs develop methodological pipelines and tools to facilitate harmonized analyses of “big data” (i.e., genetic and epigenetic data, multimodal MRI, and electroencephalography data). These international efforts have yielded the largest neuroimaging studies to date in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, epilepsy, and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. More recent ENIGMA WGs have formed to study anxiety disorders, suicidal thoughts and behavior, sleep and insomnia, eating disorders, irritability, brain injury, antisocial personality and conduct disorder, and dissociative identity disorder. Here, we summarize the first decade of ENIGMA’s activities and ongoing projects, and describe the successes and challenges encountered along the way. We highlight the advantages of collaborative large-scale coordinated data analyses for testing reproducibility and robustness of findings, offering the opportunity to identify brain systems involved in clinical syndromes across diverse samples and associated genetic, environmental, demographic, cognitive, and psychosocial factors.
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| 10. |
- Bower, K. N., et al.
(författare)
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The Great Dun Fell experiment 1995 : An overview
- 1999
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Research. - 0169-8095. ; 50:3-4, s. 151-184
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During March and April of 1995 a major international field project was conducted at the UMIST field station site on Great Dun Fell in Cumbria, Northern England. The hill cap cloud which frequently envelopes this site was used as a natural flow through reactor to examine the sensitivity of the cloud microphysics to the aerosol entering the cloud and also to investigate the effects of the cloud in changing the aerosol size distribution, chemical composition and associated optical properties. To investigate these processes, detailed measurements of the cloud water chemistry (including the chemistry of sulphur compounds, organic and inorganic oxidised nitrogen and ammonia), cloud microphysics and properties of the aerosol and trace gas concentrations upwind and downwind of the cap cloud were undertaken. It was found that the cloud droplet number was generally strongly correlated to aerosol number concentration, with up to 2000 activated droplets cm-3 being observed in the most polluted conditions. In such conditions it was inferred that hygroscopic organic compounds were important in the activation process. Often, the size distribution of the aerosol was substantially modified by the cloud processing, largely due to the aqueous phase oxidation of S(IV) to sulphate by hydrogen peroxide, but also through the uptake and fixing of gas phase nitric acid as nitrate, increasing the calculated optical scattering of the aerosol substantially (by up to 24%). New particle formation was also observed in the ultrafine aerosol mode (at about 5 nm) downwind of the cap cloud, particularly in conditions of low total aerosol surface area and in the presence of ammonia and HCl gases. This was seen to occur at night as well as during the day via a mechanism which is not yet understood. The implications of these results for parameterising aerosol growth in Global Climate Models are explored.
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| 11. |
- Choularton, T. W., et al.
(författare)
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The Great Dun Fell Cloud Experiment 1993 : An overview
- 1997
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Ingår i: Atmospheric Environment. - 1352-2310. ; 31:16, s. 2393-2405
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The 1993 Ground-based Cloud Experiment on Great Dun Fell used a wide range of measurements of trace gases, aerosol particles and cloud droplets at five sites to study their sources and sinks especially those in cloud. These measurements have been interpreted using a variety of models. The conclusions add to our knowledge of air pollution, acidification of the atmosphere and the ground, eutrophication and climate change. The experiment is designed to use the hill cap cloud as a flow-through reactor, and was conducted in varying levels of pollution typical of much of the rural temperate continental northern hemisphere in spring-time.
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| 12. |
- Fuzzi, S., et al.
(författare)
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The Po Valley Fog Experiment 1989
- 1992
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Ingår i: Tellus. Series B: Chemical and Physical Meteorology. - : Stockholm University Press. - 0280-6509. ; 44:5, s. 448-468
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An outline is presented here of the Po Valley Fog Experiment 1989, carried out within the EUROTRAC‐GCE project. This experiment is a joint effort by several European research groups from 5 countries. The physical and chemical behaviour of the fog multiphase system was studied experimentally following the temporal evolution of the relevant chemical species in the different phases (gas, droplet, interstitial aerosol) and the evolution of micrometeorological and microphysical conditions, from the pre‐fog situation through the whole fog evolution, to the post‐fog period. Some general results, useful for describing the general features of the fog system, are presented here, while specific scientific questions on the different processes taking place within the system itself will be addressed in other companion papers of this same issue.
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| 13. |
- Henrich, C., et al.
(författare)
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Coulomb excitation of 142Xe
- 2018
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Ingår i: Acta Physica Polonica B. - 0587-4254. ; 49:3, s. 529-533
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The even-even nucleus 142Xe lies north-east of the doubly magic 132Sn on the neutron-rich side of the nuclear chart. In order to gain further information on the octupole collectivity and the evolution of quadrupole collectivity in this region, a "safe" Coulomb excitation experiment was carried out at the new HIE-ISOLDE facility (CERN) at the end of 2016. As the gamma-ray detector the Miniball spectrometer was used. Beam and target nuclei were detected using C-REX, i.e. an array of segmented Si detectors, covering forward as well as backward angles in the laboratory frame.
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| 14. |
- Adlard, B., et al.
(författare)
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Future directions for monitoring and human health research for the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme
- 2018
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Ingår i: Global Health Action. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1654-9716 .- 1654-9880. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- For the last two and a half decades, a network of human health experts under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP) has produced several human health assessment reports. These reports have provided a base of scientific knowledge regarding environmental contaminants and their impact on human health in the Arctic. These reports provide scientific information and policy-relevant recommendations to Arctic governments. They also support international agreements such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Key topics discussed in this paper regarding future human health research in the circumpolar Arctic are continued contaminant biomonitoring, health effects research and risk communication. The objective of this paper is to describe knowledge gaps and future priorities for these fields.
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| 15. |
- Berner, Logan T., et al.
(författare)
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The Arctic plant aboveground biomass synthesis dataset
- 2024
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Ingår i: Scientific Data. - : Springer Nature. - 2052-4463. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant biomass is a fundamental ecosystem attribute that is sensitive to rapid climatic changes occurring in the Arctic. Nevertheless, measuring plant biomass in the Arctic is logistically challenging and resource intensive. Lack of accessible field data hinders efforts to understand the amount, composition, distribution, and changes in plant biomass in these northern ecosystems. Here, we present The Arctic plant aboveground biomass synthesis dataset, which includes field measurements of lichen, bryophyte, herb, shrub, and/or tree aboveground biomass (g m−2) on 2,327 sample plots from 636 field sites in seven countries. We created the synthesis dataset by assembling and harmonizing 32 individual datasets. Aboveground biomass was primarily quantified by harvesting sample plots during mid- to late-summer, though tree and often tall shrub biomass were quantified using surveys and allometric models. Each biomass measurement is associated with metadata including sample date, location, method, data source, and other information. This unique dataset can be leveraged to monitor, map, and model plant biomass across the rapidly warming Arctic.
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| 16. |
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| 17. |
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| 18. |
- Ponjaert-Kristoffersen, I, et al.
(författare)
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International collaborative study of intracytoplasmic sperm injection-conceived, in vitro fertilization-conceived, and naturally conceived 5-year-old child outcomes: cognitive and motor assessments
- 2005
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Ingår i: Pediatrics. ; 115:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: To date, very few studies have been conducted on the neurodevelopmental well-being of children conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The limitations of these studies often include a lack of comparison with a demographically matched, naturally conceived (NC) group and the investigation of only very young children, with relatively small samples sizes. One study showed that there were no differences in IQ scores among ICSI-conceived, in vitro fertilization (IVF)-conceived, and NC children at 5 years of age. Unfortunately, psychomotor development was not assessed in that study. Because findings regarding these children's cognitive and motor development are inconclusive, the aim of this study was to shed more light on the cognitive and motor development of 5-year-old ICSI-conceived children. METHODS: A total of 511 ICSI-conceived children were compared with 424 IVF-conceived children and 488 NC controls. Children were recruited in 5 European countries, ie, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Participation rates ranged from 45% to 96% in the ICSI and IVF groups and from 34% to 78% in the NC group. Cognitive and motor development was assessed with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence-Revised (WPPSI-R) and McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) Motor Scale, respectively. The WPPSI-R consists of 2 major scales, ie, Verbal and Performance, each including 6 subtests. The 6 Performance Scale subtests are object assembly, geometric design, block design, mazes, picture completion, and animal pegs. The 6 Verbal Scale subtests are information, comprehension, arithmetic, vocabulary, similarities, and sentences. Scores on the Performance and Verbal Scale subtests are summed to yield the performance IQ (PIQ) and verbal IQ (VIQ), respectively. Scores on both the Performance Scale and the Verbal Scale yield the full-scale IQ (FSIQ). IQ scales have a mean score of 100 and a SD of 15. Each subtest has a mean score of 10 and a SD of 3. The MSCA consists of 6 scales, ie, Verbal, Perceptual-Performance, Quantitative, General Cognitive, Memory, and Motor Scale. In this study, only the Motor Scale was administered. This scale assesses the child's coordination during performance of a variety of gross- and fine-motor tasks. Leg coordination, arm coordination, and imitative action tests provide measures of gross-motor ability. Draw-a-design and draw-a-child assess fine-motor coordination, as revealed by the levels of hand coordination and finger dexterity. The mean score for this test is 50, with a SD of . RESULTS: No differences were identified among ICSI, IVF, and NC children with respect to VIQ, PIQ, or FSIQ scores of the WPPSI-R. Furthermore, there were no differences between groups regarding the discrepancy between VIQ and PIQ scores. These results were not influenced by gender, country, or maternal educational level. However, in the subgroup of firstborn children with mothers who gave birth at an older age (33-45 years), NC children obtained significantly better VIQ and FSIQ scores than did children conceived through assisted reproductive technologies. These differences in VIQ and FSIQ scores between ICSI/IVF and NC children were relative, because NC children scored <1 IQ point higher than ICSI/IVF children. Therefore, these scores show no clinical relevance. For Verbal Scale subtests, variables such as age of the mother at the time of the birth, educational level of the mother, and gender and nationality of the child interacted with mode of conception, resulting in clinically irrelevant differences between scores for the ICSI/IVF and NC groups on the arithmetic, vocabulary, and comprehension subtests. For Performance Scale subtests, these same demographic factors interacted with mode of conception for the block design, object assembly, and animal pegs subtests, again resulting in clinically irrelevant differences among groups. In the 3 groups (ICSI, IVF, and NC), we observed equal numbers of children scoring below 1 SD from the mean on the WPPSI-R and the MSCA. CONCLUSIONS: This study includes a substantial number of children from several European countries. Apart from a few interaction effects between mode of conception and demographic variables, no differences were found when ICSI, IVF, and NC scores on the WPPSI-R and MSCA Motor Scale were compared. Nevertheless, the aforementioned interaction effects could indicate that demographic variables such as maternal age at the time of the birth and maternal educational level play different roles in the cognitive development of IVF and ICSI children, compared with NC children. Additional research is needed to explore and verify this finding. Previous studies revealed that ICSI children, in comparison with NC children, more frequently obtained scores below 1 SD from the mean on 3 subtests of the Performance Scale (object assembly, block design, and mazes) or showed a trend of 5.2% of ICSI children, compared with 2.5% of IVF children and 0.9% of NC children, obtaining a score below 1 SD from the mean, but those findings were not confirmed in this study. Here no differences were found among the 3 groups in the numbers of children scoring below 1 SD from the mean on the VIQ, PIQ, and FSIQ tests and the Verbal and Performance Scale subtests. Motor development results were somewhat more conclusive. There were no differences between the scores of ICSI, IVF, and NC children on the MCSA Motor Scale. No interaction effects were found between mode of conception and demographic variables, indicating that these results are not influenced by gender, nationality, maternal educational level, or maternal age at the time of the birth. Furthermore, equal proportions of children in all 3 groups scored below 1 SD from the mean. The results of this study are reassuring for parents who conceived through ICSI (or IVF). The findings indicate that the motor and cognitive development of their offspring is very similar to that of NC children. However, demographic factors such as maternal educational level and maternal age at the time of the birth might play different roles in the cognitive development of ICSI and IVF children, compared with NC children.
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| 19. |
- Van Oostdam, Jay C, et al.
(författare)
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Circumpolar maternal blood contaminant survey, 1994-1997 organochlorine compounds
- 2004
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 330:1-3, s. 55-70
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- During the past 20 years a number of studies have found neurological and immunological effects in the developing fetus and infants exposed to background or only slightly elevated levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). To address concerns arising from possible increased human exposure in the Arctic and possible effects of POPs, all circumpolar countries agreed in 1994 to monitoring of specific human tissues for contaminants in the Arctic under the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP). Mothers in eight circumpolar countries contributed blood samples that were analysed at a single laboratory for 14 PCB congeners (IUPAC No. 28, 52, 99, 105, 118, 128, 138, 153, 156, 170, 180, 183, 187) and 13 organochlorine pesticides (aldrin, beta-hexachlorocyclohexane (beta-HCH), dichlordiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDT), diphenyldichloroethylene (p,p'DDE), dieldrin, heptachlorepoxide, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), mirex, and the chlordane derivatives alpha-chlordane, gamma-chlordane, cis-nonachlor, oxychlordane and trans-nonachlor). Inuit mothers from Greenland and Canada have significantly higher levels of oxychlordane, transnonachlor and mirex than mothers from Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Russia. Inuit mothers from Greenland also have significantly higher levels of these contaminants than Inuit mothers from Canada and Alaska. These differences among Inuit groups may represent regional dietary preferences or different contaminant deposition patterns across the Arctic. Levels of PCBs are also elevated among some arctic populations due to their consumption of marine mammals and are in the range where subtle effects on leaming and the immune system have been reported. The Russian mothers who consume mainly food imported from southern Russia have elevated levels of DDT, DDE, beta-HCH and a higher proportion of lower chlorinated PCB congeners. This study has allowed an assessment of the variation of contaminants such as PCBs and various organochlorine pesticides (DDT, chlordane, etc.) in human populations around the circumpolar north.
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| 20. |
- Adlard, Bryan, et al.
(författare)
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MercuNorth–monitoring mercury in pregnant women from the Arctic as a baseline to assess the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Circumpolar Health. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1239-9736 .- 2242-3982. ; 80:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure to mercury (Hg) is a global concern, particularly among Arctic populations that rely on the consumption of marine mammals and fish which are the main route of Hg exposure for Arctic populations.The MercuNorth project was created to establish baseline Hg levels across several Arctic regions during the period preceding the Minamata Convention. Blood samples were collected from 669 pregnant women, aged 18–44 years, between 2010 and 2016 from sites across the circumpolar Arctic including Alaska (USA), Nunavik (Canada), Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Northern Lapland (Finland) and Murmansk Oblast (Russia). Descriptive statistics were calculated, multiple pairwise comparisons were made between regions, and unadjusted linear trend analyses were performed.Geometric mean concentrations of total Hg were highest in Nunavik (5.20 µg/L) and Greenland (3.79 µg/L), followed by Alaska (2.13 µg/L), with much lower concentrations observed in the other regions (ranged between 0.48 and 1.29 µg/L). In Nunavik, Alaska and Greenland, blood Hg concentrations have decreased significantly since 1992, 2000 and 2010 respectively with % annual decreases of 4.7%, 7.5% and 2.7%, respectively.These circumpolar data combined with fish and marine mammal consumption data can be used for assessing long-term Hg trends and the effectiveness of the Minamata Convention.
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| 21. |
- Berner, G., et al.
(författare)
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LaAlO3/SrTiO3 oxide heterostructures studied by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering
- 2010
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Ingår i: Physical Review B. Condensed Matter and Materials Physics. - 1098-0121 .- 1550-235X. ; 82:24, s. 241405-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the application of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to explore the nature of the single conducting interface in the oxide heterostructure LaAlO/sub 3//SrTiO/sub 3/. From the Ti 3d crystal-field excitations measured at the Ti L/sub 3/ resonance we not only derive information on the local geometry at the interface but are also able to follow the evolution of the sheet carrier density with the thickness of the LaAlO/sub 3/ overlayer. These findings confirm after calibration to previous hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements that the charge density from spectroscopy exceeds the one derived from Hall-effect measurements, indicating the coexistence of itinerant /i and/ localized Ti 3d electrons at the interface. On the other hand, we observe a saturation of the charge-carrier concentration above a LaAlO/sub 3/ thickness of 6 unit cells at ~1*10/sup 14/ cm/sup -2/, well below the canonical value for ideal electronic reconstruction.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
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| 24. |
- Kasho, Kazutoshi, et al.
(författare)
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A unique arginine cluster in PolDIP2 enhances nucleotide binding and DNA synthesis by PrimPol
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nucleic acids research. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1362-4962 .- 0305-1048. ; 49:4, s. 2179-2191
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Replication forks often stall at damaged DNA. To overcome these obstructions and complete the DNA duplication in a timely fashion, replication can be restarted downstream of the DNA lesion. In mammalian cells, this repriming of replication can be achieved through the activities of primase and polymerase PrimPol. PrimPol is stimulated in DNA synthesis through interaction with PolDIP2, however the exact mechanism of this PolDIP2-dependent stimulation is still unclear. Here, we show that PrimPol uses a flexible loop to interact with the C-terminal ApaG-like domain of PolDIP2, and that this contact is essential for PrimPol's enhanced processivity. PolDIP2 increases primer-template and dNTP binding affinities of PrimPol, which concomitantly enhances its nucleotide incorporation efficiency. This stimulation is dependent on a unique arginine cluster in PolDIP2. Since the polymerase activity of PrimPol alone is very limited, this mechanism, where the affinity for dNTPs gets increased by PolDIP2 binding, might be critical for the in vivo function of PrimPol in tolerating DNA lesions at physiological nucleotide concentrations. © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.
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| 25. |
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| 26. |
- Neidhardt, H., et al.
(författare)
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Organic carbon induced mobilization of iron and manganese in a West Bengal aquifer and the muted response of groundwater arsenic concentrations
- 2014
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Ingår i: Chemical Geology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0009-2541 .- 1872-6836. ; 367, s. 51-62
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The exact circumstances that cause the widespread enrichment of Mn and As in groundwater of the Bengal Delta Plain (BDP) and many other Asian delta areas still remain a matter of debate in the scientific community. We conducted an in situ field experiment in the central BDP region to investigate the influence of organic matter on the mobility of Fe, Mn and As in shallow aquifers. The groundwater at our study site was initially characterized by a circum-neutral pH, low concentrations of O2, NO3 - and SO4 2-, and increased Fe, Mn and As concentrations, reflecting reducing conditions in the aquifer. Since organic matter controls microbially mediated redox processes which are believed to result in the mobilization of Fe, Mn and As from Holocene aquifer sediments, an easily degradable carbon source (sucrose) was introduced into a shallow aquifer via four nested monitoring wells and distributed by circular pumping. Initial sucrose concentrations reached up to 2.55mM in the local groundwater and induced a strong increase in the activity of indigenous microbes that decomposed the sucrose within the following 14days stepwise into intermediate catabolic products (e.g., acetic acid), and finally to CO2/HCO3 -. The formation of organic acids was accompanied by a temporary decline in the pH and the redox potential, as well as an increase in the concentration of most major and trace elements in the groundwater by several times. While Mn concentrations rose up to 81.3μM (representing a 7.5 fold increase), Fe (on average 96.7% Fe(II)) concentrations reached a considerable transient maximum of 1390μM, which was 36 times higher than the initial baseline value. The most significant observation of this experiment is that the relative increments of dissolved As (on average 95.8% As(III)) reached between 19 and 49% only, which is in clear contrast to the pronounced mobilization of Fe, Mn and other trace elements. Changes in the groundwater composition during the experiment imply that the mobilization of Fe and Mn was primarily caused by a reductive dissolution of Mn-oxides and Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides, resulting from the stimulation of indigenous bacteria by the addition sucrose. In this context, the release of As can be attributed to the dissolution of Fe-(oxyhydr)oxides, which constitute the principal source of As in the aquifer sediments according to mineralogical and geochemical analyses. In contrast to the pronounced mobilization of Fe, the response of groundwater arsenic concentrations appeared to be muted, as indicated by subsequently declining As to Fe mol ratios that dropped one order in magnitude. The remarkable decoupling of As from Fe mobilization indicates that the aquifer sediments were apparently capable of compensating for the additional release of As. We attribute this As buffer potential to remaining Fe-minerals and potentially newly formed Fe(II)- and mixed Fe(II/III)-mineral phases, which were able to readily immobilize dissolved As. Sequential extraction results of the initial aquifer sediments further support this interpretation, revealing that up to 85% of the total As in the sediments was already present in adsorbed form, with Fe-minerals as principal hosts. Hence, the experimental data implies that a biogeochemically controlled environment of competing As release and retention arose after the addition of sucrose, where Fe-mineral phases played a key role in buffering the release of As. We further conclude that organic carbon limited aquifer systems in the BDP with increased As concentrations in groundwater may exhibit an unexpected buffer potential towards an additional As release, even when vast amounts of easily degradable organic carbon are introduced into the system.
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| 27. |
- Parkinson, Alan J., et al.
(författare)
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Climate change and infectious diseases in the Arctic : Establishment of a circumpolar working group
- 2014
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Ingår i: International Journal of Circumpolar Health. - : Taylor & Francis. - 1239-9736 .- 2242-3982. ; 73
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Arctic, even more so than other parts of the world, has warmed substantially over the past few decades. Temperature and humidity influence the rate of development, survival and reproduction of pathogens and thus the incidence and prevalence of many infectious diseases. Higher temperatures may also allow infected host species to survive winters in larger numbers, increase the population size and expand their habitat range. The impact of these changes on human disease in the Arctic has not been fully evaluated. There is concern that climate change may shift the geographic and temporal distribution of a range of infectious diseases. Many infectious diseases are climate sensitive, where their emergence in a region is dependent on climate-related ecological changes. Most are zoonotic diseases, and can be spread between humans and animals by arthropod vectors, water, soil, wild or domestic animals. Potentially climate-sensitive zoonotic pathogens of circumpolar concern include Brucella spp., Toxoplasma gondii, Trichinella spp., Clostridium botulinum, Francisella tularensis, Borrelia burgdorferi, Bacillus anthracis, Echinococcus spp., Leptospira spp., Giardia spp., Cryptosporida spp., Coxiella burnetti, rabies virus, West Nile virus, Hantaviruses, and tick-borne encephalitis viruses.
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| 28. |
- Ponjaert-Kristoffersen, I, et al.
(författare)
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International collaborative study of intracytoplasmic sperm injection-conceived, in vitro fertilization-conceived, and naturally conceived 5-year-old child outcomes: cognitive and motor assessments
- 2005
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Ingår i: Pediatrics. - : American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). - 1098-4275 .- 0031-4005. ; 115:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. To date, very few studies have been conducted on the neurodevelopmental well-being of children conceived through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). The limitations of these studies often include a lack of comparison with a demographically matched, naturally conceived (NC) group and the investigation of only very young children, with relatively small samples sizes. One study showed that there were no differences in IQ scores among ICSI-conceived, in vitro fertilization (IVF)-conceived, and NC children at 5 years of age. Unfortunately, psychomotor development was not assessed in that study. Because findings regarding these children's cognitive and motor development are inconclusive, the aim of this study was to shed more light on the cognitive and motor development of 5-year-old ICSI-conceived children.
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| 29. |
- Sawicki, J., et al.
(författare)
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Perspectives on adaptive dynamical systems
- 2023
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Ingår i: Chaos. - 1054-1500 .- 1089-7682. ; 33:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Adaptivity is a dynamical feature that is omnipresent in nature, socio-economics, and technology. For example, adaptive couplings appear in various real-world systems, such as the power grid, social, and neural networks, and they form the backbone of closed-loop control strategies and machine learning algorithms. In this article, we provide an interdisciplinary perspective on adaptive systems. We reflect on the notion and terminology of adaptivity in different disciplines and discuss which role adaptivity plays for various fields. We highlight common open challenges and give perspectives on future research directions, looking to inspire interdisciplinary approaches.
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| 30. |
- Schmidt-Lucke, C, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of assisted walking-movement in patients with genetic and acquired neuromuscular disorders with the motorised Innowalk device : an international case study meta-analysis
- 2019
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Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 7, s. 7098-7098
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- People with physical disabilities (PD) suffer from consequences due to lack of physical activity and consequently, are at increased risk of chronic diseases. We aimed to evaluate the ability of a motorised assistive device for dynamic standing with weight-bearing in addition to standard state-of-the-art therapy to improve clinical outcome in a meta-analysis of available studies. A total of 11 studies were identified from different European countries analysing the effect of the dynamic device Innowalk. Raw data of nine studies were pooled including a total of 31 patients observed between 2009 and 2017. Standardised questionnaires and physical outcomes were examined in this exploratory meta-analysis. We recorded patients' characteristics, duration, intensity, and location of usage as well as general clinical outcomes and improvement of passive range of motion (PROM). The analysed population consisted in 90% cases of patients younger than 18 years of age. Patients were severely disabled individuals (aged 8 (6-10) years; 58% male; 67% non-ambulatory, 86% cerebral palsy). A total of 94% used the Innowalk in a home-based or day-care setting. For nearly all individuals (94%), improvements were recorded for: walking or weight-bearing transfer (n = 13), control/strength of the trunk or head (n = 6), joint mobility (n = 14), sleep (n = 4 out of 6/67%), or muscle strength (n = 17), vital functions (n = 16), bowel function (n = 10), attention/orientation (n = 2). PROM of the hip (flexion, abduction, and adduction) significantly (p < 0.001 for multiple comparisons) increased after 1 month (p < 0.05 flexion, adduction) and further after 5 months (p < 0.05 each) in contrast (p < 0.05 each) to a control group with state-of-the-art therapy. Similarly, PROM showed a trend towards improvement in dorsal extension of the ankle (p = 0.07). In summary, this is the first report of a novel device with additional benefit to standard therapy for severe PD. These intriguing results warrant the planned prospective randomised controlled trial to prove the concept and mechanism of action of this device.
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
- Walton, Esther, et al.
(författare)
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Brain Structure in Acutely Underweight and Partially Weight-Restored Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa : A Coordinated Analysis by the ENIGMA Eating Disorders Working Group
- 2022
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Ingår i: Biological Psychiatry. - : Elsevier. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 92:9, s. 730-738
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The pattern of structural brain abnormalities in anorexia nervosa (AN) is still not well understood. While several studies report substantial deficits in gray matter volume and cortical thickness in acutely underweight patients, others find no differences, or even increases in patients compared with healthy control subjects. Recent weight regain before scanning may explain some of this heterogeneity. To clarify the extent, magnitude, and de-pendencies of gray matter changes in AN, we conducted a prospective, coordinated meta-analysis of multicenter neuroimaging data.METHODS: We analyzed T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance imaging scans assessed with standardized methods from 685 female patients with AN and 963 female healthy control subjects across 22 sites worldwide. In addition to a case-control comparison, we conducted a 3-group analysis comparing healthy control subjects with acutely underweight AN patients (n = 466) and partially weight-restored patients in treatment (n = 251).RESULTS: In AN, reductions in cortical thickness, subcortical volumes, and, to a lesser extent, cortical surface area were sizable (Cohen's d up to 0.95), widespread, and colocalized with hub regions. Highlighting the effects of un-dernutrition, these deficits were associated with lower body mass index in the AN sample and were less pronounced in partially weight-restored patients.CONCLUSIONS: The effect sizes observed for cortical thickness deficits in acute AN are the largest of any psychiatric disorder investigated in the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) Consortium to date. These results confirm the importance of considering weight loss and renutrition in biomedical research on AN and underscore the importance of treatment engagement to prevent potentially long-lasting structural brain changes in this population.
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