New records of the Paleotropical migrant Hemianax ephippiger in the Caribbean and a review of its status in the Neotropics

Tropical America is currently experiencing the establishment of a new apex insect predator, the Paleotropical dragonfly Hemianax ephippiger (Odonata: Aeshnidae). H. ephippiger is migratory and is suggested to have colonised the eastern Neotropics by chance Trans-Atlantic displacement. We report the discovery of H. ephippiger at three new locations in the Caribbean, the islands of Bonaire, Isla de Coche (Venezuela), and Martinique, and we review its reported distribution across the Neotropics. We discuss the establishment of H. ephippiger as a new apex insect predator in the Americas, both in terms of ecological implications and the possible provision of ecosystem services. We also provide an additional new species record for Bonaire, Pantala hymenaea (Odonata: Libellulidae).Peer reviewe

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Where less may be more: how the rare biosphere pulls ecosystems strings

Rare species are increasingly recognized as crucial, yet vulnerable components of Earth’s ecosystems. This is also true for microbial communities, which are typically composed of a high number of relatively rare species. Recent studies have demonstrated that rare species can have an over-proportional role in biogeochemical cycles and may be a hidden driver of microbiome function. In this review, we provide an ecological overview of the rare microbial biosphere, including causes of rarity and the impacts of rare species on ecosystem functioning. We discuss how rare species can have a preponderant role for local biodiversity and species turnover with rarity potentially bound to phylogenetically conserved features. Rare microbes may therefore be overlooked keystone species regulating the functioning of host-associated, terrestrial and aquatic environments. We conclude this review with recommendations to guide scientists interested in investigating this rapidly emerging research area

Pedagogisk dokumentation : Ett sätt att synliggöra lärandet

I Skolverkets rapport 318 från 2008 redovisas en utvärdering av förskolan tio år efter införandet av förskolans läroplan. Rapporten visar på en ökad satsning av individuella utvecklingsplaner. Detta tenderar att bidra till en ökad bedömning av det enskilda barnet vilket oroar Skolverket då det strider mot läroplanen. Pedagogisk dokumentation lyfts istället fram som ett alternativ till individuella utvecklingsplaner i Skolverkets rapport. Studiens syfte var att undersöka vad pedagogisk dokumentation innebar för några utvalda pedagoger i en Reggio Emilia inspirerad förskola samt att granska hur den pedagogiska dokumentationen följdes upp i personalgruppen. Vidare var ambitionen att undersökningen skulle besvara hur efterföljande reflektion och efterarbete såg ut för pedagogerna ifråga samt vilka eventuella dilemman och svårigheter den pedagogiska dokumentationen innebar. Examensarbetets empiriska underlag baserades på semistrukturerade intervjuer. Totalt intervjuades tre pedagoger. Samtliga var verksamma på den utvalda Reggio Emilia inspirerade förskolan. Pedagogernas yrkeserfarenhet varierade mellan tre till trettio år. Studiens resultat visar att pedagogens arbete med pedagogisk dokumentation fångar barns lärandesituationer. Genom att pedagogen antecknar, fotograferar eller videofilmar i verksamheten kan pedagogerna få förståelse för förskolebarnen. Pedagogerna själva kan också få ökad insikt kring det de inte ser dvs. både barns och pedagogers handlande, tänkande och lärande. Utifrån dokumentationen reflekterar pedagogerna tillsammans för att få förståelse hur barn upplever och förstår saker och ting. Genom reflektion och efterarbete kring pedagogisk dokumentation får pedagogerna dessutom en ny syn på barn och barnens väg till kunskap. Vad gäller dilemman och svårigheter med pedagogisk dokumentation framhåller pedagogerna att tiden är ett problem. Det tar tid att lära sig att arbeta med dokumentation och det tar tid att observera, dokumentera samt reflektera. Ytterligare ett dilemma kan vara att pedagogerna bedömer barnen i en dokumentation. Pedagogerna anser dock att bedömningsrisken är liten eftersom de är medvetna om detta. Resultatet visar på likheter med den litteraturredovisning som gjorts. En slutsats i undersökningen är att detta examensarbete visar på vilken betydelse den pedagogiska dokumentationen kan ha för att synliggöra barns lärande och pedagogers förhållningssätt. Vidare kan pedagogisk dokumentation leda till ständig utveckling och förändring av i detta fall förskolan. 

Association of climatic factors with infectious diseases in the Arctic and subarctic region : a systematic review

Background: The Arctic and subarctic area are likely to be highly affected by climate change, with possible impacts on human health due to effects on food security and infectious diseases. Objectives: To investigate the evidence for an association between climatic factors and infectious diseases, and to identify the most climate-sensitive diseases and vulnerable populations in the Arctic and subarctic region. Methods: A systematic review was conducted. A search was made in PubMed, with the last update in May 2013. Inclusion criteria included human cases of infectious disease as outcome, climate or weather factor as exposure, and Arctic or subarctic areas as study origin. Narrative reviews, case reports, and projection studies were excluded. Abstracts and selected full texts were read and evaluated by two independent readers. A data collection sheet and an adjusted version of the SIGN methodology checklist were used to assess the quality grade of each article. Results: In total, 1953 abstracts were initially found, of which finally 29 articles were included. Almost half of the studies were carried out in Canada (n = 14), the rest from Sweden (n = 6), Finland (n = 4), Norway (n = 2), Russia (n = 2), and Alaska, US (n = 1). Articles were analyzed by disease group: food-and waterborne diseases, vector-borne diseases, airborne viral-and airborne bacterial diseases. Strong evidence was found in our review for an association between climatic factors and food-and waterborne diseases. The scientific evidence for a link between climate and specific vector-and rodent-borne diseases was weak due to that only a few diseases being addressed in more than one publication, although several articles were of very high quality. Air temperature and humidity seem to be important climatic factors to investigate further for viral-and bacterial airborne diseases, but from our results no conclusion about a causal relationship could be drawn. Conclusions: More studies of high quality are needed to investigate the adverse health impacts of weather and climatic factors in the Arctic and subarctic region. No studies from Greenland or Iceland were found, and only a few from Siberia and Alaska. Disease and syndromic surveillance should be part of climate change adaptation measures in the Arctic and subarctic regions, with monitoring of extreme weather events known to pose a risk for certain infectious diseases implemented at the community level