Fungal sporocarps house diverse and host-specific communities of fungicolous fungi

Sporocarps (fruit bodies) are the sexual reproductive stage in the life cycle of many fungi. They are highly nutritious and consequently vulnerable to grazing by birds and small mammals, and invertebrates, and can be infected by microbial and fungal parasites and pathogens. The complexity of communities thriving inside sporocarps is largely unknown. In this study, we revealed the diversity, taxonomic composition and host preference of fungicolous fungi (i.e., fungi that feed on other fungi) in sporocarps. We carried out DNA metabarcoding of the ITS2 region from 176 sporocarps of 11 wood-decay fungal host species, all collected within a forest in northeast Finland. We assessed the influence of sporocarp traits, such as lifespan, morphology and size, on the fungicolous fungal community. The level of colonisation by fungicolous fungi, measured as the proportion of non-host ITS2 reads, varied between 2.8-39.8% across the 11 host species and was largely dominated by Ascomycota. Host species was the major determinant of the community composition and diversity of fungicolous fungi, suggesting that host adaptation is important for many fungicolous fungi. Furthermore, the alpha diversity was consistently higher in short-lived and resupinate sporocarps compared to long-lived and pileate ones, perhaps due to a more hostile environment for fungal growth in the latter too. The fungicolous fungi represented numerous lineages in the fungal tree of life, among which a significant portion was poorly represented with reference sequences in databases.Peer reviewe

Avdelingsbefalets motivasjon: hvorfor slutter avdelingsbefal før tiden?

Årsstudium i organisasjon og ledelse, 2012. Prosjektoppgave i metodeundervisning og veiledning.Dette prosjektet er utarbeidet i forbindelse med avsluttende oppgave, i vårt årsstudium i organisasjon og ledelse ved Høyskolen i Hedmark og Studiesenteret.no. Vi har tatt utgangspunkt i pensum fra hele studiet, men spesielt fra arbeidspsykologien og organisasjonsteorien. Valg av tema har hatt sitt utspring i utfordringer vi har sett med dagens befalsordning, og problemet med å beholde befal i lavere stillinger; I den hensikt å sikre kompetanse og kontinuitet på lavere gradsnivå. Avdelingsbefal slutter i snitt når de er 26 år, i stedet for å jobbe til kontraktslutt ved 35 år. Vi gjennomførte en kvantitativ spørreundersøkelse for å finne ut hva som skal til for at avdelingsbefalet ikke slutter. Vår problemstilling var: Hva påvirker motivasjonen til avdelingsbefal, med tanke på å stå lengre i stilling? Vi utarbeidet en hypotese på at grunnen til at avdelingsbefal slutter, er mangel på motivasjonsfaktorer, og/eller helhetlige ordninger for gruppen. Konklusjonen er at aldersgrensen på 35 år, i tillegg til for dårlig lønnsutvikling på lavere nivå, overveier den høye motivasjonen befalet har til jobben sin. Kort sagt: Hæren har ett meget dyktig og kompetent avdelingsbefalskorps, som stortrives i jobben og gjerne vil fortsette. Men, fordi de ikke ser noen fremtid i det å jobbe i Hæren, slutter lenge før tiden

Industrial byproducts for the soil stabilization of trace elements and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs)

publishedVersio

Identification of landslide hazard and risk ‘hotspots’ in Europe

Landslides are a serious problem for humans and infrastructure in many parts of Europe. Experts know to a certain degree which parts of the continent are most exposed to landslide hazard. Nevertheless, neither the geographical location of previous landslide events nor knowledge of locations with high landslide hazard necessarily point out the areas with highest landslide risk. In addition, landslides often occur unexpectedly and the decisions on where investments should be made to manage and mitigate future events are based on the need to demonstrate action and political will. The goal of this study was to undertake a uniform and objective analysis of landslide hazard and risk for Europe. Two independent models, an expert-based or heuristic and a statistical model (logistic regression), were developed to assess the landslide hazard. Both models are based on applying an appropriate combination of the parameters representing susceptibility factors (slope, lithology, soil moisture, vegetation cover and other- factors if available) and triggering factors (extreme precipitation and seismicity). The weights of different susceptibility and triggering factors are calibrated to the information available in landslide inventories and physical processes. The analysis is based on uniform gridded data for Europe with a pixel resolution of roughly 30 m 9 30 m. A validation of the two hazard models by organizations in Scotland, Italy, and Romania showed good agreement for shallow landslides and rockfalls, but the hazard models fail to cover areas with slow moving landslides. In general, the results from the two models agree well pointing out the same countries with the highest total and relative area exposed to landslides. Landslide risk was quantified by counting the number of exposed people and exposed kilometers of roads and railways in each country. This process was repeated for both models. The results show the highest relative exposure to landslides in small alpine countries such as Lichtenstein. In terms of total values on a national level, Italy scores highest in both the extent of exposed area and the number for exposed population. Again, results agree between the two models, but differences between the models are higher for the risk than for the hazard results. The analysis gives a good overview of the landslide hazard and risk hotspots in Europe and allows a simple ranking of areas where mitigation measures might be most effective.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen

How people with dementia and their families decide about moving to a care home and support their needs: development of a decision aid, a qualitative study

yesBackground: People with dementia and their relatives find decisions about the person with dementia living in a care home difficult. Methods: We interviewed 20 people with dementia or family carers around the time of this decision in order to design a decision-aid. Results: Decision-makers balanced the competing priorities of remaining somewhere familiar, family’s wish they remain at home, reduction of risk and effects on carer’s and person with dementia’s physical health. The person with dementia frequently resented their lack of autonomy as decisions about care home moves were made after insight and judgment were impaired. Family consultation usually helped carers but sometimes exacerbated tensions. Direct professional support was appreciated where it was available. There is a need for healthcare professionals to facilitate these conversations around decision-making and to include more than signposting to other organisations. Conclusions: There is a need for a healthcare professional facilitated decision-aid. This should detail what might change for the person with dementia and their carer, possible resources and alternatives and assist in facilitating discussion with the wider family; further research will develop and test a tool to facilitate decision making about place of care needs

Supporting stimulation needs in dementia care through wall-sized displays

Beside reminiscing, the increasing cognitive decline in dementia can also be addressed through sensory stimulation allowing the immediate, nonverbal engagement with the world through one’s senses. Much HCI work has prioritized cognitive stimulation for reminiscing or personhood often on small screens, while less research has explored sensory stimulation like the one enabled by large displays. We describe a year-long deployment in a residential care home of a wall-sized display, and explored its domestication through 24 contextual interviews. Findings indicate strong engagement and attachment to the display which has inspired four psychosocial interventions using online generic content. We discuss the value of these findings for personhood through residents’ exercise of choices, the tension between generic/personal content and its public/private use, the importance of participatory research approach to domestication, and the infrastructure-based prototype, illustrated by the DementiaWall and its generative quality