| 1. |
- Lett, Signe, et al.
(författare)
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Can bryophyte groups increase functional resolution in tundra ecosystems?
- 2022
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Ingår i: Arctic Science. - Ottawa : Canadian Science Publishing. - 2368-7460. ; 8:3, s. 609-637
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The relative contribution of bryophytes to plant diversity, primary productivity, and ecosystem functioning increases towards colder climates. Bryophytes respond to environmental changes at the species level, but because bryophyte species are relatively difficult to identify, they are often lumped into one functional group. Consequently, bryophyte function remains poorly resolved. Here, we explore how higher resolution of bryophyte functional diversity can be encouraged and implemented in tundra ecological studies. We briefly review previous bryophyte functional classifications and the roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems and their susceptibility to environmental change. Based on shoot morphology and colony organization, we then propose twelve easily distinguishable bryophyte functional groups. To illustrate how bryophyte functional groups can help elucidate variation in bryophyte effects and responses, we compiled existing data on water holding capacity, a key bryophyte trait. Although plant functional groups can mask potentially high interspecific and intraspecific variability, we found better separation of bryophyte functional group means compared with previous grouping systems regarding water holding capacity. This suggests that our bryophyte functional groups truly represent variation in the functional roles of bryophytes in tundra ecosystems. Lastly, we provide recommendations to improve the monitoring of bryophyte community changes in tundra study sites.
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| 2. |
- Biurrun, Idoia, et al.
(författare)
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Benchmarking plant diversity of Palaearctic grasslands and other open habitats
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Vegetation Science. - Oxford : John Wiley & Sons. - 1100-9233 .- 1654-1103. ; 32:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Journal of Vegetation Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Association for Vegetation Science.Aims: Understanding fine-grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine-grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the former three groups). Location: Palaearctic biogeographic realm. Methods: We used 126,524 plots of eight standard grain sizes from the GrassPlot database: 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m2 and calculated the mean richness and standard deviations, as well as maximum, minimum, median, and first and third quartiles for each combination of grain size, taxonomic group, biome, region, vegetation type and phytosociological class. Results: Patterns of plant diversity in vegetation types and biomes differ across grain sizes and taxonomic groups. Overall, secondary (mostly semi-natural) grasslands and natural grasslands are the richest vegetation type. The open-access file ”GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks” and the web tool “GrassPlot Diversity Explorer” are now available online (https://edgg.org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer) and provide more insights into species richness patterns in the Palaearctic open habitats. Conclusions: The GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks provide high-quality data on species richness in open habitat types across the Palaearctic. These benchmark data can be used in vegetation ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and data quality checking. While the amount of data in the underlying GrassPlot database and their spatial coverage are smaller than in other extensive vegetation-plot databases, species recordings in GrassPlot are on average more complete, making it a valuable complementary data source in macroecology. © 2021 The Authors.
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| 3. |
- Broda, Anja, et al.
(författare)
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Perspectives of policy and political decision makers on access to formal dementia care : expert interviews in eight European countries
- 2017
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Ingår i: BMC Health Services Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1472-6963. ; 17:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: As part of the ActifCare (ACcess to Timely Formal Care) project, we conducted expert interviews in eight European countries with policy and political decision makers, or representatives of relevant institutions, to determine their perspectives on access to formal care for people with dementia and their carers.METHODS: Each ActifCare country (Germany, Ireland, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom) conducted semi-structured interviews with 4-7 experts (total N = 38). The interview guide addressed the topics "Complexity and Continuity of Care", "Formal Services", and "Public Awareness". Country-specific analysis of interview transcripts used an inductive qualitative content analysis. Cross-national synthesis focused on similarities in themes across the ActifCare countries.RESULTS: The analysis revealed ten common themes and two additional sub-themes across countries. Among others, the experts highlighted the need for a coordinating role and the necessity of information to address issues of complexity and continuity of care, demanded person-centred, tailored, and multidisciplinary formal services, and referred to education, mass media and campaigns as means to raise public awareness.CONCLUSIONS: Policy and political decision makers appear well acquainted with current discussions among both researchers and practitioners of possible approaches to improve access to dementia care. Experts described pragmatic, realistic strategies to influence dementia care. Suggested innovations concerned how to achieve improved dementia care, rather than transforming the nature of the services provided. Knowledge gained in these expert interviews may be useful to national decision makers when they consider reshaping the organisation of dementia care, and may thus help to develop best-practice strategies and recommendations.
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| 4. |
- Hellström, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
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Association between plasma concentrations of linoleic acid-derived oxylipins and the perceived pain scores in an exploratory study in women with chronic neck pain
- 2016
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Ingår i: BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2474. ; 17
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Chronic musculoskeletal pain may be associated with changes in the balance of algogenic and anti-nociceptive compounds, and such changes may be visible in plasma samples. We have undertaken an exploratory study to measure the levels of endocannabinoids, related N-acylethanolamines and oxylipins (primarily those derived from linoleic acid) in plasma samples from women with chronic neck pain (NP) and chronic widespread pain (CWP), and to investigate whether the observed levels are associated with the pain experienced by these women.Methods: Blood samples from 35 women with NP, 15 with CWP and 27 age-matched controls were analysed for the lipids using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. Current pain (“NRSday”) and the average pain during the last week (“NRSweek”) were rated by the participants using a numerical rating scale.Results: There were no significant differences in the plasma concentrations of the fifteen lipids investigated between the women with pain and the controls. However, significant correlations were seen for the NP group between the NRSday scores and the plasma concentrations of the linoleic acid derivatives 9- and 13-hydroxy-octadecadienoic acid (Spearman’s rho values 0.51 [P = 0.0016]) and 0.53 [P = 0.0011], respectively).Conclusions: The data obtained in this exploratory study indicate that although no group differences are seen in plasma lipid concentrations, there is an association between the NRSday scores and the 9- and 13-hydroxy-octadecadienoic acid levels. Whether or not the association reflects a causality (i.e. that the circulating lipids contribute to the perceived pain of the pain participants), requires further investigation.
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| 5. |
- Ives, Christopher D., et al.
(författare)
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Human-nature connection : a multidisciplinary review
- 2017
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Ingår i: Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 1877-3435 .- 1877-3443. ; 26-27, s. 106-113
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In sustainability science calls are increasing for humanity to (re-)connect with nature, yet no systematic synthesis of the empirical literature on human-nature connection (HNC) exists. We reviewed 475 publications on HNC and found that most research has concentrated on individuals at local scales, often leaving 'nature' undefined. Cluster analysis identified three subgroups of publications: first, HNC as mind, dominated by the use of psychometric scales, second, HNC as experience, characterised by observation and qualitative analysis; and third, HNC as place, emphasising place attachment and reserve visitation. To address the challenge of connecting humanity with nature, future HNC scholarship must pursue cross-fertilization of methods and approaches, extend research beyond individuals, local scales, and Western societies, and increase guidance for sustainability transformations.
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| 6. |
- Johansson, Anders, et al.
(författare)
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Tuning positive feedback for signal detection in noisy dynamic environments
- 2012
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Ingår i: Journal of Theoretical Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-5193 .- 1095-8541. ; 309, s. 88-95
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Learning from previous actions is a key feature of decision-making. Diverse biological systems, from neuronal assemblies to insect societies, use a combination of positive feedback and forgetting of stored memories to process and respond to input signals. Here we look how these systems deal with a dynamic two-armed bandit problem of detecting a very weak signal in the presence of a high degree of noise. We show that by tuning the form of positive feedback and the decay rate to appropriate values, a single tracking variable can effectively detect dynamic inputs even in the presence of a large degree of noise. In particular, we show that when tuned appropriately a simple positive feedback algorithm is Fisher efficient, in that it can track changes in a signal on a time of order L(h)= (vertical bar h vertical bar/sigma)(-2), where vertical bar h vertical bar is the magnitude of the signal and sigma the magnitude of the noise.
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| 7. |
- Michelet, Mona, et al.
(författare)
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Associations between unmet needs for daytime activities and company and scores on the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire in people with dementia : a longitudinal study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Aging & Mental Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1360-7863 .- 1364-6915. ; 26:4, s. 725-734
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES To examine prospectively the association between unmet needs for daytime activities and company and behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia.METHODS We included 451 people with mild or moderate dementia, from eight European countries, who were assessed three times over 12 months. Unmet needs were measured with the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly. Three sub-syndromes of the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Questionnaire were regressed, one-by-one, against unmet needs for daytime activities and company, adjusting for demographic and clinical-functional covariates.RESULTS Unmet needs for daytime activities were associated with more affective symptoms at baseline, six and twelve months, mean 0.74 (p < 0.001), 0.76 (p < 0.001) and 0.78 (p = 0.001) points higher score respectively, and with more psychotic symptoms at baseline (mean 0.39 points, p = 0.007) and at six months follow-up (mean 0.31 points, p = 0.006). Unmet needs for company were associated with more affective symptoms at baseline, six and twelve months, mean 0.44 (p = 0.033), 0.67 (p < 0.001) and 0.91 (p < 0.001) points higher score respectively, and with more psychotic symptoms at baseline (mean 0.40 points, p = 0.005) and at six months (mean 0.35 points, p = 0.002) follow-up.CONCLUSION Interventions to reduce unmet needs for daytime activities and company could reduce affective and psychotic symptoms in people with dementia.
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