| 1. |
- Belay, Mulugeta, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA in CD34-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells of asymptomatic tuberculosis contacts : an observational study
- 2021
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Ingår i: The Lancet Microbe. - 2666-5247. ; 2:6, s. 267-275
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Haematopoietic stem cells expressing the CD34 surface marker have been posited as a niche for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacilli during latent tuberculosis infection. Our aim was to determine whether M tuberculosis complex DNA is detectable in CD34-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from asymptomatic adults living in a setting with a high tuberculosis burden. Methods: We did a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia between Nov 22, 2017, and Jan 10, 2019. Digital PCR (dPCR) was used to determine whether M tuberculosis complex DNA was detectable in PBMCs isolated from 100 mL blood taken from asymptomatic adults with HIV infection or a history of recent household or occupational exposure to an index case of human or bovine tuberculosis. Participants were recruited from HIV clinics, tuberculosis clinics, and cattle farms in and around Addis Ababa. A nested prospective study was done in a subset of HIV-infected individuals to evaluate whether administration of isoniazid preventive therapy was effective in clearing M tuberculosis complex DNA from PBMCs. Follow-up was done between July 20, 2018, and Feb 13, 2019. QuantiFERON-TB Gold assays were also done on all baseline and follow-up samples. Findings: Valid dPCR data (ie, droplet counts >10 000 per well) were available for paired CD34-positive and CD34-negative PBMC fractions from 197 (70%) of 284 participants who contributed data to cross-sectional analyses. M tuberculosis complex DNA was detected in PBMCs of 156 of 197 participants with valid dPCR data (79%, 95% CI 74–85). It was more commonly present in CD34-positive than in CD34-negative fractions (154 [73%] of 197 vs 46 [23%] of 197; p<0·0001). Prevalence of dPCR-detected M tuberculosis complex DNA did not differ between QuantiFERON-negative and QuantiFERON-positive participants (77 [78%] of 99 vs 79 [81%] of 98; p=0·73), but it was higher in HIV-infected than in HIV-uninfected participants (67 [89%] of 75 vs 89 [73%] of 122, p=0·0065). By contrast, the proportion of QuantiFERON-positive participants was lower in HIV-infected than in HIV-uninfected participants (25 [33%] of 75 vs 73 [60%] of 122; p<0·0001). Administration of isoniazid preventive therapy reduced the prevalence of dPCR-detected M tuberculosis complex DNA from 41 (95%) of 43 HIV-infected individuals at baseline to 23 (53%) of 43 after treatment (p<0·0001), but it did not affect the prevalence of QuantiFERON positivity (17 [40%] of 43 at baseline vs 13 [30%] of 43 after treatment; p=0·13). Interpretation: We report a novel molecular microbiological biomarker of latent tuberculosis infection with properties that are distinct from those of a commercial interferon-γ release assay. Our findings implicate the bone marrow as a niche for M tuberculosis in latently infected individuals. Detection of M tuberculosis complex DNA in PBMCs has potential applications in the diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infection, in monitoring response to preventive therapy, and as an outcome measure in clinical trials of interventions to prevent or treat latent tuberculosis infection. Funding: UK Medical Research Council.
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| 2. |
- Hantson, Stijn, et al.
(författare)
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Quantitative assessment of fire and vegetation properties in simulations with fire-enabled vegetation models from the Fire Model Intercomparison Project
- 2020
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Ingår i: Geoscientific Model Development. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1991-959X .- 1991-9603. ; 13:7, s. 3299-3318
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global fire-vegetation models are widely used to assess impacts of environmental change on fire regimes and the carbon cycle and to infer relationships between climate, land use and fire. However, differences in model structure and parameterizations, in both the vegetation and fire components of these models, could influence overall model performance, and to date there has been limited evaluation of how well different models represent various aspects of fire regimes. The Fire Model Intercomparison Project (FireMIP) is coordinating the evaluation of state-of-the-art global fire models, in order to improve projections of fire characteristics and fire impacts on ecosystems and human societies in the context of global environmental change. Here we perform a systematic evaluation of historical simulations made by nine FireMIP models to quantify their ability to reproduce a range of fire and vegetation benchmarks. The FireMIP models simulate a wide range in global annual total burnt area (39-536 Mha) and global annual fire carbon emission (0.91-4.75 Pg C yr-1) for modern conditions (2002-2012), but most of the range in burnt area is within observational uncertainty (345-468 Mha). Benchmarking scores indicate that seven out of nine FireMIP models are able to represent the spatial pattern in burnt area. The models also reproduce the seasonality in burnt area reasonably well but struggle to simulate fire season length and are largely unable to represent interannual variations in burnt area. However, models that represent cropland fires see improved simulation of fire seasonality in the Northern Hemisphere. The three FireMIP models which explicitly simulate individual fires are able to reproduce the spatial pattern in number of fires, but fire sizes are too small in key regions, and this results in an underestimation of burnt area. The correct representation of spatial and seasonal patterns in vegetation appears to correlate with a better representation of burnt area. The two older fire models included in the FireMIP ensemble (LPJ-GUESS-GlobFIRM, MC2) clearly perform less well globally than other models, but it is difficult to distinguish between the remaining ensemble members; some of these models are better at representing certain aspects of the fire regime; none clearly outperforms all other models across the full range of variables assessed.
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| 3. |
- Hantson, Stijn, et al.
(författare)
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The status and challenge of global fire modelling
- 2016
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Ingår i: Biogeosciences. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1726-4170 .- 1726-4189. ; 13:11, s. 3359-3375
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biomass burning impacts vegetation dynamics, biogeochemical cycling, atmospheric chemistry, and climate, with sometimes deleterious socio-economic impacts. Under future climate projections it is often expected that the risk of wildfires will increase. Our ability to predict the magnitude and geographic pattern of future fire impacts rests on our ability to model fire regimes, using either well-founded empirical relationships or process-based models with good predictive skill. While a large variety of models exist today, it is still unclear which type of model or degree of complexity is required to model fire adequately at regional to global scales. This is the central question underpinning the creation of the Fire Model Intercomparison Project (FireMIP), an international initiative to compare and evaluate existing global fire models against benchmark data sets for present-day and historical conditions. In this paper we review how fires have been represented in fire-enabled dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) and give an overview of the current state of the art in fire-regime modelling. We indicate which challenges still remain in global fire modelling and stress the need for a comprehensive model evaluation and outline what lessons may be learned from FireMIP.
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| 4. |
- Jansen, Joachim, et al.
(författare)
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Winter Limnology : How do Hydrodynamics and Biogeochemistry Shape Ecosystems Under Ice?
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Geophysical Research - Biogeosciences. - : American Geophysical Union (AGU). - 2169-8953 .- 2169-8961. ; 126:6
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ice-cover period in lakes is increasingly recognized for its distinct combination of physical and biological phenomena and ecological relevance. Knowledge gaps exist where research areas of hydrodynamics, biogeochemistry and biology intersect. For example, density-driven circulation under ice coincides with an expansion of the anoxic zone, but abiotic and biotic controls on oxygen depletion have not been disentangled, and while heterotrophic microorganisms and migrating phytoplankton often thrive at the oxycline, the extent to which physical processes induce fluxes of heat and substrates that support under-ice food webs is uncertain. Similarly, increased irradiance in spring can promote growth of motile phytoplankton or, if radiatively driven convection occurs, more nutritious diatoms, but links between functional trait selection, trophic transfer to zooplankton and fish, and the prevalence of microbial versus classical food webs in seasonally ice-covered lakes remain unclear. Under-ice processes cascade into and from the ice-free season, and are relevant to annual cycling of energy and carbon through aquatic food webs. Understanding the coupling between state transitions and the reorganization of trophic hierarchies is essential for predicting complex ecosystem responses to climate change. In this interdisciplinary review we describe existing knowledge of physical processes in lakes in winter and the parallel developments in under-ice biogeochemistry and ecology. We then illustrate interactions between these processes, identify extant knowledge gaps and present (novel) methods to address outstanding questions.
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| 5. |
- Wiggins, Sally, Dr, 1975-, et al.
(författare)
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Integrating quantitative and qualitative approaches in psychology research methods teaching : The example of a classroom debate
- 2005
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Ingår i: Psychology Learning & Teaching. - : Sage Publications. - 1475-7257 .- 1475-7257. ; 4:2, s. 90-94
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Research methods teaching in psychology is predominantly divided into quantitative and qualitative modules, often with an emphasis on the former. In this article we argue that by explicitly addressing the integration of methodological approaches we may help to improve students' understanding of psychological research methods overall. The example of a final year module is provided, outlining the use of a student-led classroom debate on the compatibility of qualitative and quantitative methodologies in psychology. This type of learning activity was introduced to encourage a deeper understanding of the module content and to move toward student-centred learning. It is concluded that the relative success of the debate depended largely on the size of the class and the willingness of the students to partake in a non-assessed, planned activity. Suggestions are provided for how the debate could have been better managed, alongside alternative ways in which the whole module may be redesigned.
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