A systematic study of zooplankton-based indices of marine ecological change and water quality: Application to the European marine strategy framework Directive (MSFD)

Marine zooplankton are central components of holistic ecosystem assessments due to their intermediary role in the food chain, linking the base of the food chain with higher trophic levels. As a result, these organisms incorporate the inherent properties and changes occurring atall levels of the marine ecosystem, temporally integrating signatures of physical and chemical conditions. For this reason, zooplankton-based biometrics are widely accepted as useful tools for assessing and monitoring the ecological health and integrity of aquatic systems. The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (EU-MSFD) requires the use of different types of bio-monitors, including zooplankton, to monitor progress towards achieving specific environmental and water quality targets in EU. However, there is currently no comprehensive synthesis of zooplankton indices development, use, and associated challenges. We addressed this issue with a two-step approach. First, we formulated the indicator-metrics-indices cycle (IMIC) to redefine the closely related but often ambiguously utilized terms - indicator, metric and index, highlighting the convergence between them and the iterative nature of their interaction. Secondly, we formulated frameworks for synthesizing, presenting and systematically applying zooplankton indices based on the IMIC framework. The main benefits of the IMIC are twofold: 1). to disambiguate the key elements: indicators, metrics, and indices, revealing their links to an operational ecological indicator system, and 2) to serve as an organizing tool for the coherent classification of indices according to the MSFD descriptors. Using the IMIC framework, we identified and described two broad categories of indices namely the core biodiversity indices already in use in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic regions, including the ‘Zooplankton Mean Size and Total Stock (zooplankton MSTS)’ and 'Plankton Lifeforms index (PLI)', and stressor-response indices retrieved from the existing literature, elucidating their applicability to different MSFD descriptors. Finally, major challenges of developing new indices and applying existing ones in the context of the MSFD were critically addressed and some solutions were proposed

Temporal declines in Wadden Sea phytoplankton cell volumes observed within and across species

Cell size is a master trait in the functional ecology of phytoplankton correlating with numerous morphological, physiological, and life-cycle characteristics of species that constrain their nutrient use, growth, and edibility. In contrast to well-known spatial patterns in cell size at macroecological scales or temporal changes in experimental contexts, few data sets allow testing temporal changes in cell sizes within ecosystems. To analyze the temporal changes of intraspecific and community-wide cell size, we use the phytoplankton data derived from the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea monitoring program, which comprises sample- and species-specific measurements of cell volume from 1710 samples collected over 14 yr. We find significant reductions in both the cell volume of most species and the weighted mean cell size of communities. Mainly diatoms showed this decline, whereas the size of dinoflagellates seemed to be less responsive. The magnitude of the trend indicates that cell volumes are about 30% smaller now than a decade ago. This interannual trend is overlayed by seasonal cycles with smaller cells typically observed in summer. In the subset of samples including environmental conditions, small community cell size was strongly related to high temperatures and low total phosphorus concentration. We conclude that cell size captures ongoing changes in phytoplankton communities beyond the changes in species composition. In addition, based on the changes in species biovolumes revealed by our analysis, we warn that using standard cell size values in phytoplankton assessment will not only miss temporal changes in size, but also lead to systematic errors in biomass estimates over time

Modeling drivers of biodiversity change emphasizes the need for multivariate assessments and rescaled targeting for management

The current policy and goals aimed to conserve biodiversity and manage biodiversity change are often formulated at the global scale. At smaller scales however, biodiversity change is more nuanced leading to a plethora of trends in different metrics of alpha diversity and temporal turnover. Therefore, large-scale policy targets do not translate easily into local to regional management decisions for biodiversity. Using long-term monitoring data from the Wadden Sea (Southern North Sea), joining structural equation models and general dissimilarity models enabled a better overview of the drivers of biodiversity change. Few commonalities emerged as birds, fish, macroinvertebrates, and phytoplankton differed in their response to certain drivers of change. These differences were additionally dependent upon the biodiversity aspect in question and which environmental data were recorded in each monitoring program. No single biodiversity metric or model sufficed to capture all ongoing change, which requires an explicitly multivariate approaches to biodiversity assessment in local ecosystem management

Det intelligenta hemmet-är vi redo?

Datoriseringen av våra arbetsplatser har pågått i mer än 15 år och nu riktar istället data- och teleföretagen blickarna mot hemmen. Privatpersoners användning av Internet har lett till att företagen kommit på idén att utveckla "det intelligenta hemmet". Hemmet ska kunna styras från en central enhet och kunna dirigeras från en annan plats än hemifrån. Vi ska ständigt vara uppkopplade mot vår omvärld, för att i princip kunna leva hela vårt liv utan att lämna hem-met. Måste vi gå hemifrån, ska vi hela tiden känna oss trygga även om vi inte är där och kan övervaka situationen. Alla våra tekniska apparater ska kopplas ihop i lokala hemnätverk och vi ska kunna styra det hela med hjälp av mobiltelefonen, eller vår dator. Företagen förutspår en ljus framtid och hoppas på miljardvinster de närmaste tio åren. Syftet med denna uppsats är formulera en diskussion kring intelligenta hemprodukter. Vår avsikt har varit att undersöka på vems villkor utvecklingen av produkterna har skett, och sker. Vi frågar oss om de prognoser branschen i fråga gjort om utvecklingen och mottagandet av dessa produkter kommer att slå in. För att kunna svara på denna fråga har vi studerat om de framtagna produkterna överensstämmer med användarnas önskemål och behov. Frågan vi avser att besvara med denna uppsats är: 'Sker utvecklingen av intelligenta hemprodukter i linje med användarnas önskningar och behov?' Den metod vi har tillämpat för att få svar på frågeställningen, är att distribuera och analysera en enkät, bestående av 30 frågor. Enkäten har besvarats av 80 personer, och bortfallet har va-rit relativt lågt. Korta litteraturbeskrivningar har fungerat som bakgrund till vår analys av en-käten, och vi har därför placerat dessa i början av varje avsnitt. Vi tror att de intelligenta hemprodukterna är utvecklade av teknikintresserade män som kan-ske främst ser till sig själva när de drar slutsatser om vad en 'vanlig användare' behöver. En-kätanalysen har visat att det kön som bäst passar in på beskrivningen av en genomsnittsan-vändare är en man. Om det förhåller sig på detta sätt, att det är män som har utvecklat pro-dukterna, och att det är män som motsvarar bilden av genomsnittsanvändaren, så är detta in-tressant. Resultatet ska dock ses med en viss reservation. Att svaren fördelat sig som de gjort, beror till stor del på att männens svar grupperat sig mycket lika. Kvinnornas svar är mer spridda, de svarar betydligt oftare vet inte på frågorna och verkar osäkra på vad de egentligen tycker, och därför framkommer deras åsikter inte lika tydligt. Den som tillbringar mest tid hemma, den som främst utför hushållsarbete i hemmet och dess-utom är lite tveksam till den nya hemtekniken, är en kvinna, inte en man. För de frågor som behandlar dessa områden har kvinnornas svar grupperats tydligt. Eftersom kvinnor utgör hälften av respondenterna, så är detta naturligtvis av betydelse för svaret på vår frågeställning. Det är däremot främst män som svarat ja på de frågor som rör intresse för det intelligenta hemmet. Resultaten enkäten givit oss är motsägelsefulla. Den som är mest hemma, och oftare utför sysslor som de intelligenta produkterna är ämnade att hjälpa till med, är inte samma per-son som intresserar sig för att köpa de intelligenta hemprodukterna. Vi anser därför att svaret på frågan vi ställt upp är: Nej, utvecklingen av intelligenta hemprodukter sker inte linje med användarnas önskningar och behov. Vi tror dessutom inte att marknaden är mogen än, men vi överlåter åt företagen att avgöra den frågan

Choice of estate agent : A comparison small town/large city

The number of new estate agent offices is increasing yearly and each year many hundred new estate agents graduate. The comparing of estate agents by sellers has perhaps been most common in larger cities, but as competition has increased even in smaller towns we experience that it has become a common phenomenon even there. We both come from a small town but are not afraid of the idea of moving to a larger city as newly qualified estate agents. We ask ourselves, which are the determining factors in the choice of a estate agent in a large city as opposed to a small town? Can we see any differences? The purpose with this essay is to give us added knowledge about which factors private persons consider to be important in their choice of an estate agent when selling a house. The body of information is based on two parallel surveys, one in Hudiksvall and one in Stockholm, together with interviews of people in this line of business. The theory that the essay is based on is largely derived from communications within the service industry. We describe the nature of the services offered, interactive and external communications, quality and customer satisfaction. The conclusion demonstrates that it is the estate agent’s behaviour, his trustworthiness, knowledge and commitment that is most prominent in both places. However certain factors seem to be more important in Hudiksvall than in Stockholm, and vice versa. Some of the factors that seem more important in Hudiksvall are the reputation and image of the estate agent office and also the valuation and pricing of the house. In Stockholm, the design of the object description, the trademark and the experience of the estate agent has been ranked higher. We have also noticed that an earlier experience of the restate agent has been significant in both cities. That is most evident in Hudiksvall where about half of the people had met the estate agent on earlier occasions.Tillskottet av nya mäklarkontor ökar årligen och varje år examineras flera hundra nya fastighetsmäklare. Att säljare jämför fastighetsmäklare har kanske varit vanligast i storstäderna, men i takt med att konkurrensen hårdnar även på mindre orter upplever vi att det blivit ett allt vanligare fenomen även där. Vi kommer båda från en småstad och är inte främmande för tanken att flytta till en större stad som nyutexaminerade fastighetsmäklare. Vi frågar oss vilka faktorer som är avgörande vid valet av fastighetsmäklare i en storstad kontra småstad? Kan vi se några skillnader? Avsikten med uppsatsen är att ge oss en ökad kunskap om vilka faktorer privatpersoner anser viktiga vid valet av fastighetsmäklare vid en villaförsäljning. Materialet bygger på två parallella enkätundersökningar, en i Hudiksvall och en i Stockholmsamt intervjuer med branschfolk. Teorin som uppsatsen baseras på är till största delen hämtad från kommunikation inom tjänsteföretag. Vi beskriver tjänsters karaktäristiker, interaktiv och extern kommunikation, kvalitet och kundtillfredsställelse. Slutsatsen visar att det som är mest framträdande på båda orterna är fastighetsmäklarens uppträdande, dennes trovärdighet, kunskap och engagemang. Däremot tycks vissa faktorer vara av större betydelse i Hudiksvall än i Stockholm och omvänt. Några av de faktorer som tycks viktigare i Hudiksvall är mäklarkontorets rykte och image, samt värdering och prissättning av villan. I Stockholm däremot har objektsbeskrivningens utformning, varumärket och mäklarens rutin rankats högre. Vi har också noterat att en tidigare erfarenhet av fastighetsmäklaren har stor betydelse på båda orterna. Mest tydligt är detta i Hudiksvall där lite drygt hälften av kunderna mött fastighetsmäklaren i ett tidigare sammanhang

Whole-genome Bisulfite Sequencing of Human Pancreatic Islets Reveals Novel Differentially Methylated Regions in Type 2 Diabetes Pathogenesis

Current knowledge about the role of epigenetics in type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains limited. Only a few studies have investigated DNA methylation of selected candidate genes or a very small fraction of genomic CpG sites in human pancreatic islets, the tissue of primary pathogenic importance for diabetes. Our aim was to characterize the whole-genome DNA methylation landscape in human pancreatic islets, to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in diabetic islets, and to investigate the function of DMRs in islet biology.Here, we performed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, which is a comprehensive and unbiased method to study DNA methylation throughout the genome on a single nucleotide resolution, in pancreatic islets from donors with T2D and non-diabetic controls. We identified 25,820 DMRs in islets from individuals with T2D. These DMRs cover loci with known islet function e.g. PDX1, TCF7L2 and ADCY5 Importantly, binding sites previously identified by ChIP-seq for islet-specific transcription factors, enhancer regions and different histone marks were enriched in the T2D associated DMRs. We also identified 457 genes, including NR4A3, PARK2, PID1, SLC2A2 and SOCS2 that had both DMRs and significant expression changes in T2D islets. To mimic the situation in T2D islets, candidate genes were overexpressed or silenced in cultured β-cells. This resulted in impaired insulin secretion, thereby connecting differential methylation to islet dysfunction. We further explored the islet methylome and found a strong link between methylation levels and histone marks. Additionally, DNA methylation in different genomic regions and of different transcript types (i.e. protein-coding, non-coding and pseudogenes) was associated with islet expression levels.Our study provides a comprehensive picture of the islet DNA methylome in both non-diabetic and diabetic individuals and highlights the importance of epigenetic dysregulation in pancreatic islets and T2D pathogenesis

Sex differences in the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern and impact on gene expression, microRNA levels and insulin secretion in human pancreatic islets

Background: Epigenetic factors regulate tissue-specific expression and X-chromosome inactivation. Previous studies have identified epigenetic differences between sexes in some human tissues. However, it is unclear whether epigenetic modifications contribute to sex-specific differences in insulin secretion and metabolism. Here, we investigate the impact of sex on the genome-wide DNA methylation pattern in human pancreatic islets from 53 males and 34 females, and relate the methylome to changes in expression and insulin secretion. Results: Glucose-stimulated insulin secretion is higher in female versus male islets. Genome-wide DNA methylation data in human islets clusters based on sex. While the chromosome-wide DNA methylation level on the X-chromosome is higher in female versus male islets, the autosomes do not display a global methylation difference between sexes. Methylation of 8,140 individual X-chromosome sites and 470 autosomal sites shows sex-specific differences in human islets. These include sites in/near AR, DUSP9, HNF4A, BCL11A and CDKN2B. 61 X-chromosome genes and 18 autosomal genes display sex-specific differences in both DNA methylation and expression. These include NKAP, SPESP1 and APLN, which exhibited lower expression in females. Functional analyses demonstrate that methylation of NKAP and SPESP1 promoters in vitro suppresses their transcriptional activity. Silencing of Nkap or Apln in clonal beta-cells results in increased insulin secretion. Differential methylation between sexes is associated with altered levels of microRNAs miR-660 and miR-532 and related target genes. Conclusions: Chromosome-wide and gene-specific sex differences in DNA methylation associate with altered expression and insulin secretion in human islets. Our data demonstrate that epigenetics contribute to sex-specific metabolic phenotypes

Temporal declines in Wadden Sea phytoplankton cell volumes observed within and across species

Cell size is a master trait in the functional ecology of phytoplankton correlating with numerous morphological, physiological, and life‐cycle characteristics of species that constrain their nutrient use, growth, and edibility. In contrast to well‐known spatial patterns in cell size at macroecological scales or temporal changes in experimental contexts, few data sets allow testing temporal changes in cell sizes within ecosystems. To analyze the temporal changes of intraspecific and community‐wide cell size, we use the phytoplankton data derived from the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea monitoring program, which comprises sample‐ and species‐specific measurements of cell volume from 1710 samples collected over 14 yr. We find significant reductions in both the cell volume of most species and the weighted mean cell size of communities. Mainly diatoms showed this decline, whereas the size of dinoflagellates seemed to be less responsive. The magnitude of the trend indicates that cell volumes are about 30% smaller now than a decade ago. This interannual trend is overlayed by seasonal cycles with smaller cells typically observed in summer. In the subset of samples including environmental conditions, small community cell size was strongly related to high temperatures and low total phosphorus concentration. We conclude that cell size captures ongoing changes in phytoplankton communities beyond the changes in species composition. In addition, based on the changes in species biovolumes revealed by our analysis, we warn that using standard cell size values in phytoplankton assessment will not only miss temporal changes in size, but also lead to systematic errors in biomass estimates over time.Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002347Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659Interreg V A program Deutschland‐Nederland of the European UnionNiedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100010570https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.579926