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- Baptista, Marisa A. P., et al.
(author)
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Deletion of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein triggers Rac2 activity and increased cross-presentation by dendritic cells
- 2016
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the WASp gene. Decreased cellular responses in WASp-deficient cells have been interpreted to mean that WASp directly regulates these responses in WASp-sufficient cells. Here, we identify an exception to this concept and show that WASp-deficient dendritic cells have increased activation of Rac2 that support cross-presentation to CD8(+) T cells. Using two different skin pathology models, WASp-deficient mice show an accumulation of dendritic cells in the skin and increased expansion of IFN gamma-producing CD8(+) T cells in the draining lymph node and spleen. Specific deletion of WASp in dendritic cells leads to marked expansion of CD8(+) T cells at the expense of CD4(+) T cells. WASp-deficient dendritic cells induce increased cross-presentation to CD8(+) T cells by activating Rac2 that maintains a near neutral pH of phagosomes. Our data reveals an intricate balance between activation of WASp and Rac2 signalling pathways in dendritic cells.
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- Brackmann, Christian, 1973, et al.
(author)
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Non-linear microscopy of smooth muscle cells in artificial extracellular matrices made of cellulose
- 2012
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In: Journal of Biophotonics. - : Wiley. - 1864-063X .- 1864-0648. ; 5:5-6, s. 404-414
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Non-linear microscopy has been used to characterize bovine smooth muscle cells and their proliferation, migration, and differentiation in hydrogel cellulose scaffolds, toward the development of fully functional blood vessel implants. The extracellular matrix (ECM) composed of cellulose and endogenous collagen fibers was imaged using Second Harmonic Generation (SHG) microscopy and the cell morphology by Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS) microscopy. Images prove that cells adhere on the cellulose scaffold without additional surface modification and that both contractile and proliferating phenotypes are developed. This work shows that non-linear microscopy contributes with unique insights in cell interactions with (artificial) ECM components and has the potential to become an established characterization method in tissue engineering.
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- Dahlberg, Annika, 1960-, et al.
(author)
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Addressing trade-offs: Experiences from conservation and development initiatives in the Mkuze Wetlands, South Africa
- 2009
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In: Ecology and Society. - Resilience Alliance. - 1708-3087. ; 14:2, s. online-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Present-day conservation policies generally include the aim to integrate biodiversity conservation and local development, and describe this as a win–win solution that can satisfy all interests. This is challenged by research claiming that many efforts fail to match practice to rhetoric. South Africa has made strong commitments to fulfill the dual goals of conservation and development, and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park is promoted as an example of this. We explore present and potential outcomes of conservation and development interventions in a community bordering the Wetland Park through the perspective of different stakeholders, with the aim of uncovering opportunities and risks. In terms of improving local livelihoods as well as involvement in conservation, the success of the studied interventions varied. Local communities may accept restrictions on resource use as a result of realistic and fairly negotiated trade-offs, but if perceived as unjust and imposed from above, then mistrust and resistance will increase. In this area, collaboration between conservation organizations and the local community had improved, but still faced problems associated with unequal power relations, unrealistic expectations, and a lack of trust, transparency, and communication. As unsustainable efforts are a waste of funds and engagement, and may even become counterproductive, policy visions need to be matched by realistic allocations of staff, time, funds, and training. At the national and international level, the true cost of conservation has to be recognized and budgeted for if efforts at integrating conservation and development are to succeed.
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- Dahlberg, Annika
(author)
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Categories are all around us : Towards more porous, flexible, and negotiable boundaries in conservation-production landscapes
- 2015
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In: Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0029-1951 .- 1502-5292. ; 69:4, s. 207-218
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In order to communicate and act in the world we divide it into categories, with boundaries that define belonging and exclusion. Categories take shape through processes influenced by, for example, history, discourses, ecologies, and power relations. Although we intellectually know that categories are social constructs we tend to treat them as if they have an intrinsic reality of their own when we describe and act in any given landscape. This understanding is explored within a political ecology framework through a case study of protected areas in relation to other land uses in Sweden. The study relies primarily on interviews with actors affected by conservation efforts, and highlights that categories are not neutral phenomenon, but have ecological, material and social effects in the landscape. It discusses how the simplification of a complex and dynamic whole into static categories can result in paradoxes with unexpected and sometimes negative effects on rural development and land care arrangements. The study advocates a more flexible understanding and handling of categories - and thus of landscapes - to enhance the potential for multiple landscape values to exist in overlapping, dynamic and paradoxical ways.
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- Dahlberg, Annika
(author)
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Contesting views and changing paradigms : the land degradation debate in Southern Africa
- 1994
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- This study deals with issues of environmental change and degradation, with special reference to Southern Africa. Over the last couple of decades this debate has become quite heated. The aim of this paper is to clarify contrasting opinions, and to describe the more far-reaching shifts in scientific thinking. This is done by discussing definitions of the processes involved, the commonly used indicators and ascribed causes of degradation and the importance of time and space, especially in the context of the variability and heterogeneity which characterises the semi-arid environments. The value of interdisciplinarity is highlighted throughout the paper.
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- Dahlberg, Annika, et al.
(author)
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Exploring the importance of categories in contemporary conservation debates : the case of a proposed national park in the Swedish mountain region.
- 2017
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alongside ‘wilderness’ the category ‘national park’ is one of the most powerful within nature conservation. How a category, such as national park including its inherent components, is understood and valued differ between social actors across space and time. This paper aims to look critically at how categories are used and understood by stakeholders with different land-use interests in the southern mountains of Jämtland County, Sweden, specifically in relation to a suggested new national park. Data has been collected through in-depth interviews,surveys, discourse analysis and observations. Results show how our need to use categories, such as ‘nature reserve’, ‘wilderness’ and ‘local community’, at the same time can create problems. For example, the proposed national park is perceived differentlyby different stakeholders, there exists mistrust between them, and the park is contested for several reasons. Categories create paradoxes that lead to tension and conflict, and they often act to block change in both thinking and practice. These effects can occur when a piece of land belongs to different categories, when a category remains static while the local context changes, when the material and immaterial ‘components inherent in landscapes are categorised differently by different users, and when the same category is attributed different values. A lack of awareness of this impedes novel solutions and potential relevant trade-offs. A critical analysis of how categories are formed, by whom, and their effects, are important for understanding and moving beyond conflicts in conservation.
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