Search results for "LAND"
showing 10 items of 9939 documents
Optimal contract length for biodiversity conservation under conservation budget constraint
2014
We examine the optimal length of a contract period in a conservation program with payments for ecosystem services aiming at protecting biodiversity on privately owned forests. The government chooses the number of stands and the length of contracts so as to maximize biodiversity benefits under a binding conservation budget. We examine the implication of two alternative budgets: a separate budget for each period (periodic budget) or one budget that to be used in all periods (intertemporal budget). The impact of the budget type shows up in the fact that with intertemporal budget choice set is larger and more high quality stands are available for contracting. Based on theoretical characterizati…
Association between physical, psychological and social frailty and health-related quality of life among older people
2019
Abstract Background Studies on the association between frailty and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are scarce and show contradictory results. This study aimed to evaluate the association between physical, psychological and social frailty and HRQoL among community-dwelling older people. Methods A cross-sectional study was performed with baseline data collected in 2015 from the Urban Health Centers Europe (UHCE) project in five European countries, the United Kingdom, Greece, Croatia, The Netherlands and Spain. A total of 2325 participants were included in the baseline measurements of the Urban Health Centers Europe project; 2167 participants (mean age = 79.7; SD=5.6) were included in t…
Aspirin and COX-2 Inhibitor Nimesulide Potentiate Adrenergic Contractions of Human Gastroepiploic Artery
2007
Background The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intervention of COX-1- and COX-2-derived prostaglandins in the responses of human gastroepiploic artery to sympathetic stimulation and norepinephrine. Methods Rings of human gastroepiploic artery were obtained from 45 patients (26 men and 19 women) undergoing gastrectomy. The rings were suspended in organ baths for isometric recording of tension. We studied the responses to electrical field stimulation, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine, in the absence and presence of COX-1 or COX-2 inhibition. Results The COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor aspirin at high concentrations (10 −6 to 10 −5 mol/L) and the COX-2 inhibitor nimesulide (10 −6 mol/L…
Adequate Urinary Iodine Concentration among Infants in the Inland Area of Norway
2021
Considering the importance of iodine to support optimal growth and neurological development of the brain and central nervous system, this study aimed to assess and evaluate iodine status in Norwegian infants. We collected data on dietary intake of iodine, iodine knowledge in mothers, and assessed iodine concentration in mother’s breast milk and in infant’s urine in a cross-sectional study at two public healthcare clinics in the inland area of Norway. In the 130 mother–infant pairs, the estimated infant 24-h median iodine intake was 50 (IQR 31, 78) µg/day. The median infant urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was 146 (IQR 93, 250) µg/L and within the recommended median defined by the World He…
Effects of the Blair/Brown NHS Reforms on Socioeconomic Equity in Health Care
2012
The central objectives of the ‘Blair/Brown’ reforms of the English NHS in the 2000s were to reduce hospital waiting times and improve the quality of care. However, critics raised concerns that the choice and competition elements of reform might undermine socioeconomic equity in health care. By contrast, the architects of reform predicted that accelerated growth in NHS spending combined with increased patient choice of hospital would enhance equity for poorer patients. This paper draws together and discusses the findings of three large-scale national studies designed to shed empirical light on this issue. Study one developed methods for monitoring change in neighbourhood level socioeconomic…
Effects of exercise and diet interventions on obesity-related sleep disorders in men: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
2013
Abstract Background Sleep is essential for normal and healthy living. Lack of good quality sleep affects physical, mental and emotional functions. Currently, the treatments of obesity-related sleep disorders focus more on suppressing sleep-related symptoms pharmaceutically and are often accompanied by side effects. Thus, there is urgent need for alternative ways to combat chronic sleep disorders. This study will investigate underlying mechanisms of the effects of exercise and diet intervention on obesity-related sleep disorders, the role of gut microbiota in relation to poor quality of sleep and day-time sleepiness, as well as the levels of hormones responsible for sleep-wake cycle regulati…
Influence of plant traits, soil microbial properties, and abiotic parameters on nitrogen turnover of grassland ecosystems
2016
International audience; Although it is known that multiple interactions among plant functional traits, microbial properties , and abiotic soil parameters influence the nutrient turnover, the relative contribution of each of these groups of variables is poorly understood. We manipulated grassland plant functional composition and soil nitrogen (N) availability in a multisite mesocosm experiment to quantify their relative effects on soil N turnover. Overall, root traits, arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization, denitrification potential, as well as N availability and water availability, best explained the variation in measured ecosystem properties, especially the trade-off between nutrient sequest…
Territorial Connection and Cohesion - The Case of Agrigento Inland Area
2014
The Europe 2020 strategy and the Horizon 2020 program can begin a real path about the role that the city will be able play for a new development. Usually, it is in the cities that are intensifying tangible and intangible social relations and, given that they focused almost 70% of the world population, it is clear that the city must begin to start any development scenario: the problems / opportunities related to the management of natural resources, energy to move. The culture is a «primary factor of urban creativity (...), the city's identity that has its roots the program schedule of history and extends its branches in the future» [4], awaiting a new model of development local self-sustaina…
Diversity and Evolution of the Phenazine Biosynthesis Pathway
2010
ABSTRACT Phenazines are versatile secondary metabolites of bacterial origin that function in biological control of plant pathogens and contribute to the ecological fitness and pathogenicity of the producing strains. In this study, we employed a collection of 94 strains having various geographic, environmental, and clinical origins to study the distribution and evolution of phenazine genes in members of the genera Pseudomonas , Burkholderia , Pectobacterium , Brevibacterium , and Streptomyces . Our results confirmed the diversity of phenazine producers and revealed that most of them appear to be soil-dwelling and/or plant-associated species. Genome analyses and comparisons of phylogenies inf…
Preliminary Finnish Measures of Eating Competence Suggest Association with Health-Promoting Eating Patterns and Related Psychobehavioral Factors in 1…
2015
Eating competence is an attitudinal and behavioral concept, based on The Satter Eating Competence Model. In adults, it has been shown to be associated with a higher quality of diet. Eating competence or its association with the quality of diet has not been studied in adolescents. The aim of the current study was to explore the utility of using a preliminary Finnish translation of the ecSI 2.0 for evaluating presumed eating competence and its association with food selection, meal patterns and related psychobehavioral factors in 10-17 year old adolescents. Altogether 976 10-17 years old Finnish adolescents filled in the study questionnaire. When exploring the construct validity of ecSI 2.0, t…