157 research outputs found
How older people as pedestrians perceive the outdoor environment - methodological issues derived from studies in two European countries
This paper has reanalysed and compared data between three studies conducted in the UK and in Sweden. (The OPUS 'Older People's Use of Unfamiliar Space' study in the UK and the Swedish studies 'Let's go for a walk' and 'Walking in old age') to provide a comprehensive account of the issues facing older people in the outdoor environment. All three studies draw on the 'fit' between the person and their environment as a guiding conceptual base – capturing the dynamics of the relationship between older people's personal needs and their wider environmental context. This common conceptual base allowed us to test theory against practice, and to explore the utility of this concept across different geographical contexts. Participatory research was also applied, highlighting the importance of the voice of older people and involving older people in research. The studies also used a mixed-method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. The paper highlights that although not generalisable you can compare cross-locales and cross-nationally using different methodology; it investigates the challenges of cross-national comparative analysis and draws on findings from the three studies to illustrate the different challenges and solutions and finally looks at lessons that are transferable
How older people as pedestrians perceive the outdoor environment – methodological issues derived from studies in two European countries
This paper has reanalysed and compared data between three studies conducted in the UK and in Sweden. (The OPUS 'Older People's Use of Unfamiliar Space' study in the UK and the Swedish studies 'Let's go for a walk' and 'Walking in old age') to provide a comprehensive account of the issues facing older people in the outdoor environment. All three studies draw on the 'fit' between the person and their environment as a guiding conceptual base – capturing the dynamics of the relationship between older people's personal needs and their wider environmental context. This common conceptual base allowed us to test theory against practice, and to explore the utility of this concept across different geographical contexts. Participatory research was also applied, highlighting the importance of the voice of older people and involving older people in research. The studies also used a mixed-method approach involving both quantitative and qualitative methods. The paper highlights that although not generalisable you can compare cross-locales and cross-nationally using different methodology; it investigates the challenges of cross-national comparative analysis and draws on findings from the three studies to illustrate the different challenges and solutions and finally looks at lessons that are transferable.REF Compliant by Deposit in Stirling's Repositor
Benefits and risks of using native parasitoids for augmentative biological control of the invasive pest Halyomorpha halys in Europe
The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is an Asian agricultural pest that has invaded both the American continent and Europe. In its native range, H. halys populations are well regulated by natural enemies, with Trissolcus japonicus being the most abundant species. In Europe, the egg parasitoid Anastatus bifasciatus is the most common species parasitizing H. halys eggs. In this PhD thesis I evaluated its potential for augmentative biological control against H. halys in Europe. Investigations on the life history of A. bifasciatus are described in chapter 2. In chapter 3, the host range of A. bifasciatus was examined. Interspecific interactions with another potential European biological control agent of H. halys, Ooencyrtus telenomicida, were evaluated in chapter 4. Experimental releases of A. bifasciatus were conducted over three years in Swiss and Italian fruit orchards, described in chapter 5. The development and testing of a PCR-based screening tool for Anastatus species is addressed in chapter 6. In 2017 and 2018, the first adventive populations of T. japonicus in Europe could be recorded in chapter 7
Modeling and Predicting Literary Reception. A Data-Rich Approach to Literary Historical Reception
This contribution exemplifies a workflow for the quantitative operationalization
and analysis of historical literary reception. We will show how to
encode literary historical information in a dataset that is suitable for quantitative
analysis and present a nuanced and theory-based perspective on automated
sentiment detection in historical literary reviews. Applying our method to corpora
of English and German novels and narratives published from 1688 to 1914
and corresponding reviews and circulating library catalogs, we investigate if a
text’s popularity with lay audiences, the attention from contemporary experts
or the sentiment in experts’ reviews can be predicted from textual features,
with the aim of contributing to the understanding of how literary reception as a
social process can be linked to textual qualities
Can Anastatus bifasciatus Be Used for Augmentative Biological Control of the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Fruit Orchards?
The generalist egg parasitoid Anastatus bifasciatus (Geoffroy) (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is the most prevalent egg parasitoid of the invasive Halyomorpha halys (St\ue5l) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Europe. To assess its efficacy against the pest H. halys and to validate the potential risks for non-target species in a realistic field setting, inundative releases were conducted over three consecutive years in four fruit orchards in Switzerland and Italy. In total, more than 4300 A. bifasciatus females were released, which was equivalent to 11,000 to 26,000 females per hectare, depending on distances between trees in each orchard. Parasitism of freeze-killed sentinel H. halys eggs achieved with the current release strategy was on average 6% (range: 2%\u201316%) and considered not high enough to effectively suppress the pest. However, the overall impact of A. bifasciatus on the mortality of H. halys eggs was likely underestimated. If pre-imaginal parasitoid mortality (3.3%) and host feeding (6%) are added to the observed parasitism (6%), the actual induced mortality of H. halys eggs may reach more than 15%. Parasitism of lepidopteran non-target species reached an average of 8% and thus, some degree of non-target parasitism after mass releases may be expected. To quantify the impact of the parasitoids in the orchards more precisely, naturally laid egg masses should be used in future trials to include host-finding cues of the host and host plants, and larger scale releases with potentially higher densities of parasitoids should be considered
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Genome-wide association study identifies 30 loci associated with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) including 20,352 cases and 31,358 controls of European descent, with follow-up analysis of 822 variants with P < 1 × 10-4 in an additional 9,412 cases and 137,760 controls. Eight of the 19 variants that were genome-wide significant (P < 5 × 10-8) in the discovery GWAS were not genome-wide significant in the combined analysis, consistent with small effect sizes and limited power but also with genetic heterogeneity. In the combined analysis, 30 loci were genome-wide significant, including 20 newly identified loci. The significant loci contain genes encoding ion channels, neurotransmitter transporters and synaptic components. Pathway analysis revealed nine significantly enriched gene sets, including regulation of insulin secretion and endocannabinoid signaling. Bipolar I disorder is strongly genetically correlated with schizophrenia, driven by psychosis, whereas bipolar II disorder is more strongly correlated with major depressive disorder. These findings address key clinical questions and provide potential biological mechanisms for bipolar disorder
Remote smartphone-based speech collection: acceptance and barriers in individuals with major depressive disorder
Natural History of Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease in North America: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Background: The incidence of very early onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEOIBD) is increasing, yet the phenotype and natural history of VEOIBD are not well described. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with VEOIBD (6 years of age and younger) between 2008 and 2013 at 25 North American centers. Eligible patients at each center were randomly selected for chart review. We abstracted data at diagnosis and at 1, 3, and 5 years after diagnosis. We compared the clinical features and outcomes with VEOIBD diagnosed younger than 3 years of age with children diagnosed with VEOIBD at age 3 to 6 years. Results: The study population included 269 children (105 [39%] Crohn\u27s disease, 106 [39%] ulcerative colitis, and 58 [22%] IBD unclassified). The median age of diagnosis was 4.2 years (interquartile range 2.9-5.2). Most (94%) Crohn\u27s disease patients had inflammatory disease behavior (B1). Isolated colitis (L2) was the most common disease location (70% of children diagnosed younger than 3 years vs 43% of children diagnosed 3 years and older; P = 0.10). By the end of follow-up, stricturing/penetrating occurred in 7 (6.6%) children. The risk of any bowel surgery in Crohn\u27s disease was 3% by 1 year, 12% by 3 years, and 15% by 5 years and did not differ by age at diagnosis. Most ulcerative colitis patients had pancolitis (57% of children diagnosed younger than 3 years vs 45% of children diagnosed 3 years and older; P = 0.18). The risk of colectomy in ulcerative colitis/IBD unclassified was 0% by 1 year, 3% by 3 years, and 14% by 5 years and did not differ by age of diagnosis. Conclusions: Very early onset inflammatory bowel disease has a distinct phenotype with predominantly colonic involvement and infrequent stricturing/penetrating disease. The cumulative risk of bowel surgery in children with VEOIBD was approximately 14%-15% by 5 years. These data can be used to provide anticipatory guidance in this emerging patient population
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