| 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. |
- Rixen, C., et al.
(författare)
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Winters are changing: snow effects on Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems
- 2022
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Ingår i: Arctic Science. - : Canadian Science Publishing. - 2368-7460. ; 8:3, s. 572-608
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Snow is an important driver of ecosystem processes in cold biomes. Snow accumulation determines ground temperature, light conditions, and moisture availability during winter. It also affects the growing season's start and end, and plant access to moisture and nutrients. Here, we review the current knowledge of the snow cover's role for vegetation, plant-animal interactions, permafrost conditions, microbial processes, and biogeochemical cycling. We also compare studies of natural snow gradients with snow experimental manipulation studies to assess time scale difference of these approaches. The number of tundra snow studies has increased considerably in recent years, yet we still lack a comprehensive overview of how altered snow conditions will affect these ecosystems. Specifically, we found a mismatch in the timing of snowmelt when comparing studies of natural snow gradients with snow manipulations. We found that snowmelt timing achieved by snow addition and snow removal manipulations (average 7.9 days advance and 5.5 days delay, respectively) were substantially lower than the temporal variation over natural spatial gradients within a given year (mean range 56 days) or among years (mean range 32 days). Differences between snow study approaches need to be accounted for when projecting snow dynamics and their impact on ecosystems in future climates.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Muehlenbein, MP, et al.
(författare)
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Traveller exposures to animals: a GeoSentinel analysis
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of travel medicine. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1708-8305 .- 1195-1982. ; 27:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundHuman coexistence with other animals can result in both intentional and unintentional contact with a variety of mammalian and non-mammalian species. International travellers are at risk for such encounters; travellers risk injury, infection and possibly death from domestic and wild animal bites, scratches, licks and other exposures. The aim of the present analysis was to understand the diversity and distribution of animal-related exposures among international travellers.MethodsData from January 2007 through December 2018 from the GeoSentinel Surveillance Network were reviewed. Records were included if the exposure was non-migration travel with a diagnosis of an animal (dog, cat, monkey, snake or other) bite or other exposure (non-bite); records were excluded if the region of exposure was not ascertainable or if another, unrelated acute diagnosis was reported.ResultsA total of 6470 animal exposures (bite or non-bite) were included. The majority (71%) occurred in Asia. Travellers to 167 countries had at least one report of an animal bite or non-bite exposure. The majority (76%) involved dogs, monkeys and cats, although a wide range of wild and domestic species were involved. Almost two-thirds (62.6%) of 4395 travellers with information available did not report a pretravel consultation with a healthcare provider.ConclusionsMinimizing bites and other animal exposures requires education (particularly during pretravel consultations) and behavioral modification. These should be supplemented by the use of pre-exposure rabies vaccination for travellers to high-risk countries (especially to those with limited access to rabies immunoglobulin), as well as encouragement of timely (in-country) post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies and Macacine alphaherpesvirus 1 (herpesvirus B) when warranted.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Sah, Vasu R., et al.
(författare)
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Chemokine Analysis in Patients with Metastatic Uveal Melanoma Suggests a Role for CCL21 Signaling in Combined Epigenetic Therapy and Checkpoint Immunotherapy
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cancer Research Communications. ; 3:5, s. 884-895
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose: Patients with metastatic uveal melanoma have limited therapeutic options and high mortality rate so new treatment options are needed.Patients and Methods: We previously reported that patients treated with the PD-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab and the histone deacetylase inhibitor entinostat in the PEMDAC trial, experienced clinical benefits if their tu-mor originated from iris or was wildtype for BAP1 tumor suppressor gene. Here we present the 2-year follow-up of the patients in the PEMDAC trial and identify additional factors that correlate with response or survival.Results: Durable responses were observed in 4 patients, with additional 8 patients exhibiting a stable disease. The median overall survival was 13.7 months. Grade 3 adverse events were reported in 62% of the patients, but they were all manageable. No fatal toxicity was observed. Activity of thymidine kinase 1 in plasma was higher in patients with stable disease or who progressed on treatment, compared with those with partial response. Chemokines and cytokines were analyzed in plasma. Three chemokines were significantly different when comparing patients with and without response. One of the factors, CCL21, was higher in the plasma of respond-ing patients before treatment initiation but decreased in the same patients upon treatment. In tumors, CCL21 was expressed in areas resembling ter -tiar y lymphoid structures (TLS). High plasma levels of CCL21 and presence of TLS-like regions in the tumor correlated with longer survival.Conclusions: This study provides insight into durable responses in the PEMDAC trial, and describes dynamic changes of chemokines and cytokines in the blood of these patients.Significance: The most significant finding from the 2-year follow-up study of the PEMDAC trial was that high CCL21 levels in blood was associated with response and survival. CCL21 was also expressed in TLS-like regions and presence of these regions was associated with longer survival. These analyses of soluble and tumor markers can inform on predictive biomark-ers needing validation and become hypothesis generating for experimental research.
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| 7. |
- Blinzler, Brina, 1987, et al.
(författare)
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A systematic approach to transforming composite 3D images into meso-scale computational models
- 2020
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Ingår i: ECCM 2018 - 18th European Conference on Composite Materials.
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- High performance polymer matrix composites (PMC) have a high specific stiffness and can be used to easily manufacture highly complex components. Many types of defects can occur during molding. Flaws and damage degrade the resulting mechanical properties of the composites material. It is difficult to assess the actual stiffness, strength and fatigue limit of flawed and damaged structures. Among these the fatigue limit is the most difficult to predict. Through a combination of modern imaging techniques and finite element analysis of in-situ fiber bundles, it is now becoming possible to estimate fatigue limits for polymer matrix composites structures with flaws or damage. Composite materials can be imaged with 3D X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) in a sufficient detail to view 3D fiber bundle matrix interfaces. These images can then be directly imported into physical models to be used in finite element analysis. The process of converting these images into computer models for analysis is currently extremely time consuming, difficult and subjective. The method presented here has been developed to bridge this gap.
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| 8. |
- Cea, B., et al.
(författare)
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Development and Evaluation of an Innovative Method Based on Dilution to Sample Solid and Condensable Fractions of Particles Emitted by Residential Wood Combustion
- 2021
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Ingår i: Energy & Fuels. - : American Chemical Society. - 0887-0624 .- 1520-5029. ; 35:23, s. 19705-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An innovative and simple method based on dilution, named as the dilution chamber (DC), allowing the measurement of solid and condensable fractions of particulate matter emitted by residential wood combustion appliances has been developed, and its performances have been evaluated. The DC method was then tested by five European institutes (Ineris, ISSI/ENEA, DTI, and RISE) on advanced residential wood log/pellet stoves, under nominal output and low output combustion conditions and using different fuel types. The aim of the study was to evaluate the capability of the DC method to collect the condensable fraction. The DC method was compared with another manual method used to collect the solid and condensable fractions at the same time, the dilution tunnel (DT), on four sampling platforms. A third method, a combining heated filter and impinger filled in with isopropanol collection (SPC-IPA), was also used by Ineris only for comparison with the DC method. PM measurements based on the DC method globally showed a linear correlation with PM measurements based on DT (R2 ranged between 0.81 and 0.99, p < 0.05) specifically for the residential wood stoves under low output conditions when the condensable fraction contributes the most. An analysis and quantification of PAHs related to the total mass of PM of samples taken by the DC method and performed by ENEA/ISSI showed that it produces a condensation effect of semivolatile species comparable or even greater than the DT method. PM emission factors calculated from PM measurements based on the DC method were (i) about 2- to 20-fold higher for the residential wood stoves (EF ranged between 201 to 2420 g GJ-1) compared to those obtained for the residential pellet stoves (EF ranged between 108 to 556 g GJ-1) and (ii) of the same magnitude of PM emission factors from the literature or the EMEP/EEA air pollutant emission inventory guidebook.
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| 9. |
- Chakraborty, Debasish, et al.
(författare)
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Reversible Atomization and Nano-Clustering of Pt as a Strategy for Designing Ultra-Low-Metal-Loading Catalysts
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 126:38, s. 16194-16203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Noble metal-based catalysts have numerous industrial uses, and maximum utilization of the precious metals by lowering the metal loading is of significant interest in heterogeneous catalysis research. However, lowering the metal loading could lead to single-atom metal species formation, which may not be active for important reactions like propylene oxidation. We report a way to drastically reduce precious metal loading of catalysts by judiciously choosing an active metal/support pair and using the reversible atomization-nanoparticulate formation of transition metal on a high-surface area support. Here, Pt and MgAl2O4 are used as the transition metal and high-surface area support, respectively. Through catalytic testing and characterization using scanning transmission electron microscopy and synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy, a reversible change between atomization and nano-cluster formation under oxidizing and reducing conditions has been found. Via density functional theory, favorable sites for reversible Pt adsorption are identified, including ionic Pt4+ sites that can serve to nucleate nanoclusters. Catalytic reaction modeling also rationalizes the catalytic inertness of atomic Pt sites. Finally, a re-activation mechanism for the atomized Pt based on gases present during reaction has been formulated and demonstrated.
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