Biochar in urban applications

Urban use of Biochar is increasing but the effect on the plant growth is neither verified nor estimated. Biochar use in urban tree plantings and raingardens is becoming generic in some of the largest Sweden Cities. The objective behind using biochar in tree plantations have been that it is safer to establish in this substrate than in structural soils and the trees grow well. Carbon/macadam and structural soils are used below hardcover surfaces and sustain the load from traffic. In raingardens, which is a dry system, biochar increases the water-holding capacity and thereby secure the establishment and growth of the plants. Biochar is also purifying the storm-water reducing the pollution loads to recipients. New applications that have been tested is in green roofs, in living walls, in parks, street trees, courtyards and urban meadows. Survival and growth of the vegetation is determined and preliminary results show that biochar can be used in and benefit these vegetation systems. By expanding the use of biochar into urban vegetation, the CO2 mitigation potential is increasing Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

Supersolar Ni/Fe production in the Type IIP SN 2012ec

SN 2012ec is a Type IIP supernova (SN) with a progenitor detection and comprehensive photospheric-phase observational coverage. Here, we present Very Large Telescope and PESSTO observations of this SN in the nebular phase. We model the nebular [O I] 6300, 6364 lines and find their strength to suggest a progenitor main-sequence mass of 13-15 Msun. SN 2012ec is unique among hydrogen-rich SNe in showing a distinct and unblended line of stable nickel [Ni II] 7378. This line is produced by 58Ni, a nuclear burning ash whose abundance is a sensitive tracer of explosive burning conditions. Using spectral synthesis modelling, we use the relative strengths of [Ni II] 7378 and [Fe II] 7155 (the progenitor of which is 56Ni) to derive a Ni/Fe production ratio of 0.20pm0.07 (by mass), which is a factor 3.4pm1.2 times the solar value. High production of stable nickel is confirmed by a strong [Ni II] 1.939 micron line. This is the third reported case of a core-collapse supernova producing a Ni/Fe ratio far above the solar value, which has implications for core-collapse explosion theory and galactic chemical evolution models.Comment: Published versio

Dominant Mutations in GRHL3 Cause Van der Woude Syndrome and Disrupt Oral Periderm Development

Mutations in interferon regulatory factor 6 (IRF6) account for ∼70% of cases of Van der Woude syndrome (VWS), the most common syndromic form of cleft lip and palate. In 8 of 45 VWS-affected families lacking a mutation in IRF6, we found coding mutations in grainyhead-like 3 (GRHL3). According to a zebrafish-based assay, the disease-associated GRHL3 mutations abrogated periderm development and were consistent with a dominant-negative effect, in contrast to haploinsufficiency seen in most VWS cases caused by IRF6 mutations. In mouse, all embryos lacking Grhl3 exhibited abnormal oral periderm and 17% developed a cleft palate. Analysis of the oral phenotype of double heterozygote (Irf6+/−;Grhl3+/−) murine embryos failed to detect epistasis between the two genes, suggesting that they function in separate but convergent pathways during palatogenesis. Taken together, our data demonstrated that mutations in two genes, IRF6 and GRHL3, can lead to nearly identical phenotypes of orofacial cleft. They supported the hypotheses that both genes are essential for the presence of a functional oral periderm and that failure of this process contributes to VWS

VizieR Online Data Catalog: SN 2011dh. The first two years (Ergon+, 2015)

All data for the first 100 days (from Paper I, Ergon et al., 2014A&A...562A..17E) and JC UBVRI, SDSS ugriz and 2MASS JHK magnitudes after day 100 and pseudo-bolometric UV-MIR bolometric luminosity before day 400 for SN 2011dh. (4 data files)

Dominant Mutations in GRHL3 Cause Van der Woude Syndrome and Disrupt Oral Periderm Development

Peer reviewe

The Roots of Autism and ADHD Twin Study in Sweden (RATSS)

Neurodevelopmental disorders affect a substantial minority of the general population. Their origins are still largely unknown, but a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors causing disturbances of the central nervous system's maturation and a variety of higher cognitive skills is presumed. Only limited research of rather small sample size and narrow scope has been conducted in neurodevelopmental disorders using a twin-differences design. The Roots of Autism and ADHD Twin Study in Sweden (RATSS) is an ongoing project targeting monozygotic twins discordant for categorical or dimensional autistic and inattentive/hyperactive-impulsive phenotypes as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders, and typically developing twin controls. Included pairs are 9 years of age or older, and comprehensively assessed for psychopathology, medical history, neuropsychology, and dysmorphology, as well as structural, functional, and molecular brain imaging. Specimens are collected for induced pluripotent (iPS) and neuroepithelial stem cells, genetic, gut bacteria, protein-/monoamine, and electron microscopy analyses. RATSS's objective is to generate a launch pad for novel surveys to understand the complexity of genotype-environment-phenotype interactions in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By October 2013, RATSS had collected data from 55 twin pairs, among them 10 monozygotic pairs discordant for autism spectrum disorder, seven for ADHD, and four for other neurodevelopmental disorders. This article describes the design, recruitment, data collection, measures, collected pairs' characteristics, as well as ongoing and planned analyses in RATSS. Potential gains of the study comprise the identification of environmentally mediated biomarkers, the emergence of candidates for drug development, translational modeling, and new leads for prevention of incapacitating outcome

The Roots of Autism and ADHD Twin Study in Sweden (RATSS)

Neurodevelopmental disorders affect a substantial minority of the general population. Their origins are still largely unknown, but a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors causing disturbances of the central nervous system's maturation and a variety of higher cognitive skills is presumed. Only limited research of rather small sample size and narrow scope has been conducted in neurodevelopmental disorders using a twin-differences design. The Roots of Autism and ADHD Twin Study in Sweden (RATSS) is an ongoing project targeting monozygotic twins discordant for categorical or dimensional autistic and inattentive/hyperactive-impulsive phenotypes as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders, and typically developing twin controls. Included pairs are 9 years of age or older, and comprehensively assessed for psychopathology, medical history, neuropsychology, and dysmorphology, as well as structural, functional, and molecular brain imaging. Specimens are collected for induced pluripotent (iPS) and neuroepithelial stem cells, genetic, gut bacteria, protein-/monoamine, and electron microscopy analyses. RATSS's objective is to generate a launch pad for novel surveys to understand the complexity of genotype-environment-phenotype interactions in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By October 2013, RATSS had collected data from 55 twin pairs, among them 10 monozygotic pairs discordant for autism spectrum disorder, seven for ADHD, and four for other neurodevelopmental disorders. This article describes the design, recruitment, data collection, measures, collected pairs' characteristics, as well as ongoing and planned analyses in RATSS. Potential gains of the study comprise the identification of environmentally mediated biomarkers, the emergence of candidates for drug development, translational modeling, and new leads for prevention of incapacitating outcome

SN 2017dio: A Type-Ic Supernova Exploding in a Hydrogen-rich Circumstellar Medium

SN 2017dio shows both spectral characteristics of a type-Ic supernova (SN) and signs of a hydrogen-rich circumstellar medium (CSM). Prominent, narrow emission lines of H and He are superposed on the continuum. Subsequent evolution revealed that the SN ejecta are interacting with the CSM. The initial SN Ic identification was confirmed by removing the CSM interaction component from the spectrum and comparing with known SNe Ic, and reversely, adding a CSM interaction component to the spectra of known SNe Ic and comparing them to SN 2017dio. Excellent agreement was obtained with both procedures, reinforcing the SN Ic classification. The light curve constrains the pre-interaction SN Ic peak absolute magnitude to be around Mg = −17.6 mag. No evidence of significant extinction is found, ruling out a brighter luminosity required by a SN Ia classification. These pieces of evidence support the view that SN 2017dio is a SN Ic, and therefore the first firm case of a SN Ic with signatures of hydrogen-rich CSM in the early spectrum. The CSM is unlikely to have been shaped by steady-state stellar winds. The mass loss of the progenitor star must have been intense, ˙M 0.02 (ǫH/0.01)−1 (vwind/500 km s−1) (vshock/10000 km s−1)−3 M⊙ yr−1, peaking at a few decades before the SN. Such a high mass loss rate might have been experienced by the progenitor through eruptions or binary stripping. Keywords: supernovae: general — supernovae: individual (SN 2017dio)</p

Den salutogena äldreomsorgen. : En kvalitativ studie om omsorgspersonalens arbetssätt.

Titel: Den salutogena äldreomsorgen. – En kvalitativ studie om omsorgspersonalens arbetssätt. Författare: Lina FranssonAnledningen till studiens start, var när jag själv uppmärksammade hur en brukare inte gavs möjlighet till att utföra sysslor som hen egentligen klarar på egenhand. Omsorgspersonalen vid tillfället tog över och utförde sysslan åt brukaren. Jag uppmärksammade sedan begreppet salutogen äldreomsorg och blev nyfiken på vad det var. Studiens syfte är att skapa kunskap om det salutogena arbetssättet, samt förståelse för hur och varför omsorgspersonalen på två äldreboende i Alvesta kommun arbetar efter det. De avgränsningar som görs är att studien grundas utifrån omsorgspersonalens perspektiv och är utifrån deras arbete mot den enskilde individen. Omsorgsförvaltningen i Alvesta kommun har valt att utbilda sina enhetschefer i salutogent ledarskap men studiens fokus kommer att vara på hur omsorgspersonalen arbetar efter det salutogena arbetssätt som enhetscheferna arbetar med att få ut i sina verksamheter, samt varför. För att följa studiens syfte söker jag svar på två frågor: Hur kommer ett salutogent arbetssätt till uttryck på arbetsplatsen? Hur kan omsorgspersonalens arbetssätt förstås? Metodiken som används för att kunna besvara studiens frågor bestod av deltagande observationer av omsorgspersonal, samt semi-strukturerade intervjuer med samma åtta personer ur personalgrupperna, för att få djupare förståelse. För att tolka det insamlade materialet och försöka besvara och diskutera studiens frågor användes begrepp ur organisationsteori. Organisationsteorin tar upp och förklarar hur organisationsbeteende och organisationskulturer som finns inom organisationer kan påverka anställda och deras arbetssätt. Teorin tar även upp att organisationen påverkas av samhället utanför. Anställdas sociala nätverk utanför organisationen skapar olika värderingar och normer som följer med de anställda in i organisationen. Studiens slutsats är att omsorgspersonalens arbetssätt kan förstås med hjälp av verksamhetens organisationsbeteende och organisationskultur. Eftersom omsorgspersonalen som deltagit i studien känner varandra och umgås utanför arbetsplatsen, delar de liknande värderingar och normer. Organisationsbeteendet och organisationskulturen stärks genom att omsorgspersonalen umgås utanför arbetsplatsen, vilket också kan skapa starkare sammanhållning i arbetsgrupperna och motivationen att strävan efter samma mål

Fine scale habitat and movement patterns of javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) in Cipaganti, West Java, Indonesia

Today biodiversity is rapidly decreasing and an increasing number of threatened species live in modified and human dominated landscapes. Therefore it is essential to learn more about how species cope with the changes of their habitat. The focus of this study lies on a primate species, the critically endangered Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus), endemic to the densely populated island of Java, Indonesia.  In cooperation with the Little fire face project in West Java, I used a step selection function (SSF) framework, to understand how landscape structure affects the movement of Javan slow lorises within a fragmented mountain-agroforest landscape of Cipaganti, West Java. To investigate the movement and fine scale habitat selection of slow lorises I used one hour locations of 6 radio-collared slow lorises. The habitat and vegetation of observed and random steps was investigated in multiple variables such as presence of food trees and signs of human disturbance. For the analysis I paired observed steps (1h relocations) with 3 random habitat locations and used a conditional logistic regression to parameterize the SSF, which represents the probability of a focal slow loris to select a given step as a function of the habitat and vegetation factors surveyed. In average the slow lorises travelled about 450 m each night and most frequently they used a step length of about 0 – 50 m. My result reveals that slow lorises fine scale habitat selection is positively influenced by the presence of trees and tree trunk cover (indirect increasing the canopy cover and connectivity). They are also to a high extent positively affected by the presence of a feeding tree species, Calliandra calothyrsus. Surprisingly slow lorises selected steps associated with a higher number of fields (fields may indicate an increased biodiversity within the location). The results also indicate that slow lorises are limited in their movement by the presence of fields or rivers, which indicates that slow lorises are negatively influenced in their movement by a declining ability to move and forage within Cipaganti. I found no significant differences between sexes in their distance travelled. The recommendation for future conservation of slow lorises in Cipaganti is to prevent further habitat loss and fragmentation through activities that protect or maintain the present suitable slow loris habitat. Further research is needed to increase the knowledge of these primates’ abilities to live in this modified landscape.