| 1. |
- Artaxo, Paulo, et al.
(författare)
-
Tropical and Boreal Forest – Atmosphere Interactions : A Review
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Tellus. Series B, Chemical and physical meteorology. - : Stockholm University Press. - 0280-6509 .- 1600-0889. ; 74:1, s. 24-163
-
Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- This review presents how the boreal and the tropical forests affect the atmosphere, its chemical composition, its function, and further how that affects the climate and, in return, the ecosystems through feedback processes. Observations from key tower sites standing out due to their long-term comprehensive observations: The Amazon Tall Tower Observatory in Central Amazonia, the Zotino Tall Tower Observatory in Siberia, and the Station to Measure Ecosystem-Atmosphere Relations at Hyytiäla in Finland. The review is complemented by short-term observations from networks and large experiments.The review discusses atmospheric chemistry observations, aerosol formation and processing, physiochemical aerosol, and cloud condensation nuclei properties and finds surprising similarities and important differences in the two ecosystems. The aerosol concentrations and chemistry are similar, particularly concerning the main chemical components, both dominated by an organic fraction, while the boreal ecosystem has generally higher concentrations of inorganics, due to higher influence of long-range transported air pollution. The emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds are dominated by isoprene and monoterpene in the tropical and boreal regions, respectively, being the main precursors of the organic aerosol fraction.Observations and modeling studies show that climate change and deforestation affect the ecosystems such that the carbon and hydrological cycles in Amazonia are changing to carbon neutrality and affect precipitation downwind. In Africa, the tropical forests are so far maintaining their carbon sink.It is urgent to better understand the interaction between these major ecosystems, the atmosphere, and climate, which calls for more observation sites, providing long-term data on water, carbon, and other biogeochemical cycles. This is essential in finding a sustainable balance between forest preservation and reforestation versus a potential increase in food production and biofuels, which are critical in maintaining ecosystem services and global climate stability. Reducing global warming and deforestation is vital for tropical forests.
|
|
| 2. |
- Ahlström, Christer, 1977-, et al.
(författare)
-
The effect of an active steering system on city bus drivers’ muscle activity
- 2018
-
Ingår i: International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics. - : Taylor and Francis Ltd.. - 1080-3548 .- 2376-9130. ; , s. 1-9
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- City bus drivers spend hours driving under time pressure, in congested traffic and in a monotonous sitting position. This leads to unhealthy working conditions, especially in terms of physical and psychological stress. The aim of this study is to investigate whether an active steering system can alleviate the musculoskeletal stress involved in manoeuvring a bus. Twenty bus drivers drove a city bus equipped with the Volvo dynamic steering (VDS) support system in real traffic. Steering effort was evaluated with electromyography and with a questionnaire. Compared to baseline, VDS significantly reduced the required muscle activity by on average 15–25% while turning, and up to 68% in the part of the manoeuvre requiring maximum effort. The bus drivers believed that VDS will help reduce neck and shoulder problems, and they expressed a desire to have VDS installed in their own bus.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
- Ahrentorp, Fredrik, et al.
(författare)
-
Sensitive magnetic biodetection using magnetic multi-core nanoparticles and RCA coils
- 2017
-
Ingår i: Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. - : Elsevier BV. - 0304-8853 .- 1873-4766. ; 427, s. 14-18
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We use functionalized iron oxide magnetic multi-core particles of 100 nm in size (hydrodynamic particle diameter) and AC susceptometry (ACS) methods to measure the binding reactions between the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and bio-analyte products produced from DNA segments using the rolling circle amplification (RCA) method. We use sensitive induction detection techniques in order to measure the ACS response. The DNA is amplified via RCA to generate RCA coils with a specific size that is dependent on the amplification time. After about 75 min of amplification we obtain an average RCA coil diameter of about 1 mu m. We determine a theoretical limit of detection (LOD) in the range of 11 attomole (corresponding to an analyte concentration of 55 fM for a sample volume of 200 mu L) from the ACS dynamic response after the MNPs have bound to the RCA coils and the measured ACS readout noise. We also discuss further possible improvements of the LOD.
|
|
| 5. |
- Akhtar, Sultan, et al.
(författare)
-
Real-Space Transmission Electron Microscopy Investigations of Attachment of Functionalized Magnetic Nanoparticles to DNA-Coils Acting as a Biosensor
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Journal of Physical Chemistry B. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1520-6106 .- 1520-5207. ; 114:41, s. 13255-13262
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present work provides the first real-space analysis of nanobead-DNA coil interactions. Immobilization of oligonucleotide-functionalized magnetic nanobeads in rolling circle amplified DNA-coils was studied by complex magnetization measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and a statistical analysis of the number of beads hybridized to the DNA-coils was performed. The average number of beads per DNAcoil using the results from both methods was found to be around 6 and slightly above 2 for samples with 40 and 130 nm beads, respectively. The TEM analysis supported an earlier hypothesis that 40 nm beads are preferably immobilized in the interior of DNA-coils whereas 130 nm beads, to a larger extent, are immobilized closer to the exterior of the coils. The methodology demonstrated in the present work should open up new possibilities for characterization of interactions of a large variety of functionalized nanoparticles with macromolecules, useful for gaining more fundamental understanding of such interactions as well as for optimizing a number of biosensor applications.
|
|
| 6. |
|
|
| 7. |
- Asplund, Maria, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
-
Incidence of traumatic peripheral nerve injuries and amputations in Sweden between 1998 and 2006
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Neuroepidemiology. - Basel : Kargel, AG. - 0251-5350 .- 1423-0208.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: To define the epidemiological pattern of nerve injuries and traumatic amputations in Sweden, 1998-2006, and investigate possible targets for emerging neural engineering and neuroprosthetic technologies. Methods: The Swedish Hospital Discharge Register was used as basis of information, including data from all public in-patient care, excluding out-patient data. ICD-10 codes were screened for nerve injuries and traumatic amputations of high incidence or in-patient care time. Selected codes, causing factors, age and gender distribution were discussed in detail, and potential targets for tailored solutions were identified. Results: Incidence rate was determined to 13.9 for nerve injuries and 5.21 for amputations per 100 000 person-yrs. The majority of injuries occurred at wrist and hand level although it could be concluded that these are often minor injuries requiring less than a week of hospitalization. The single most care consuming nerve injury was brachial plexus injury constituting, in average, 68 injuries and 960 hospital days annually. When minor amputations of fingers and toes were disregarded, most frequent site of amputation was between knee and ankle (24 patients / year). Conclusions: Based on analysis of incidence and care time, we find that brachial plexus injuries and lower leg amputations should be primary targets of these new technologies.
|
|
| 8. |
- Ben Aissa, Alejandra, et al.
(författare)
-
Electrochemical Genosensing of E. coli Based on Padlock Probes and Rolling Circle Amplification
- 2021
-
Ingår i: Sensors. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8220. ; 21:5
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Isothermal amplification techniques are emerging nowadays for the rapid and accurate detection of pathogenic bacteria in low resource settings, where many infectious diseases are endemic, and the lack of reliable power supply, trained personnel and specialized facilities pose critical barriers for timely diagnosis. This work addresses the detection of E. coli based on DNA isothermal amplification performed on magnetic particles (MPs) followed by electrochemical genosensing on disposable electrodes by square-wave voltammetry. In this approach, the bacterial DNA is preconcentrated using a target-specific magnetic probe and then amplified on the MPs by rolling circle amplification (RCA). Two different electrochemical readout methods for the RCA amplicons are tested. The first one relied on the labelling of the magnetic RCA product with a digoxigenin probe followed by the incubation with antiDIG-HRP antibody as electrochemical reporter. In the second case, the direct detection with an HRP-probe was performed. This latter strategy showed an improved analytical performance, while simultaneously avoiding the use of thermocyclers or bulky bench top equipment.
|
|
| 9. |
- Björk, Robert G., 1974, et al.
(författare)
-
Contrasting effects of wood ash application on microbial community structure, biomass and processes in drained forested peatlands
- 2010
-
Ingår i: FEMS Microbiology Ecology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1574-6941 .- 0168-6496. ; 73:3, s. 550-562
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The effects of wood ash application on soil microbial processes were investigated in three drained forested peatlands, which differed in nutrient status and time since application. Measured variables included concentrations of soil elements and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), net nitrogen mineralisation, nitrification and denitrification enzyme activity, potential methane oxidation, methane production and microbial respiration kinetics. Wood ash application had a considerable influence on soil element concentrations. This mirrored a decrease in the majority of the microbial biomarkers by more than one-third in the two oligotrophic peatlands, although microbial community composition was not altered. The decreases in PLFAs coincided with reduced net ammonification and net nitrogen mineralisation. Other measured variables did not change systematically as a result of wood ash application. No significant changes in microbial biomass or processes were found in the mesotrophic peatland, possibly because too little time (1 year) had elapsed since the wood ash application. This study suggests that oligotrophic peatlands can be substantially affected by wood ash for a period of at least four years after application. However, within 25 years of the wood ash application, the microbial biomass seemed to have recovered or adapted to enhanced element concentrations in the soil.
|
|
| 10. |
- Cornell Kärnekull, Stina, 1985-
(författare)
-
Auditory and Olfactory Abilities in Blind and Sighted Individuals : More Similarities than Differences
- 2018
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Blind individuals face various challenges in everyday life because of the lack of visual input. However, since they need to rely on the non-visual senses for everyday tasks, for instance, when navigating the environment, the question has been raised as to whether perceptual and cognitive abilities in these senses may be enhanced. This question has mainly been addressed for auditory and tactile abilities, whereas there is considerably less research into the chemical senses, such as olfaction. However, to determine whether blindness has general effects, different senses and types of tasks should be studied, preferably in one and the same study. Therefore, throughout this thesis, analogous auditory and olfactory tasks that varied in cognitive complexity were studied. In Study I, absolute thresholds, discrimination, identification, episodic recognition (i.e., after a short retention interval), metacognition, and self-reported imagery ability were assessed in early blind, late blind, and sighted participants. The only objective measure on which the blind and sighted clearly differed was the auditory episodic recognition task. The fact that early blind but not late blind participants displayed better memory than the sighted suggested that the onset age of blindness may be important for whether this ability becomes enhanced following blindness. Furthermore, the early blind participants rated their auditory imagery ability higher than the sighted, whereas both early and late blind participants rated their olfactory imagery ability higher than the sighted. In Study II, the participants from Study I were followed up after more than a year and retested on auditory and olfactory episodic recognition and identification. This time, the early blind displayed no advantage over the sighted, suggesting that the influence of blindness on auditory memory may be modulated by the length of the retention interval. Moreover, in line with Study I, identification of sounds and odors was similar in the three groups. In Study III, early blind and sighted participants were examined for potential differences in autobiographical memory as evoked by sounds and odors, respectively. Blindness did not influence the reminiscence bumps (i.e., memory peaks in certain age intervals) or have any clear impact on the number of retrieved sound- or odor-evoked memories. Taken together, the present findings indicate that blindness has no general influence across tasks or sensory modalities. Rather, specific auditory abilities, such as episodic memory, may be enhanced in blind individuals, although such effects may depend on both the onset age of blindness and the length of the retention interval. In conclusion, for most perceptual and cognitive abilities examined, performance seemed unaffected by blindness.
|
|
