Search results for "RCT"

Lake size and fish diversity determine resource use and trophic position of a top predator in high-latitude lakes

2015

Prey preference of top predators and energy flow across habitat boundaries are of fundamental importance for structure and function of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, as they may have strong effects on production, species diversity, and food-web stability. In lakes, littoral and pelagic food-web compartments are typically coupled and controlled by generalist fish top predators. However, the extent and determinants of such coupling remains a topical area of ecological research and is largely unknown in oligotrophic high-latitude lakes. We analyzed food-web structure and resource use by a generalist top predator, the Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.), in 17 oligotrophic subarctic lakes…

Olive oil intake and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in the PREDIMED Study

2014

[Background] It is unknown whether individuals at high cardiovascular risk sustain a benefit in cardiovascular disease from increased olive oil consumption. The aim was to assess the association between total olive oil intake, its varieties (extra virgin and common olive oil) and the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk.

The impact of weather and the phase of the rodent cycle on breeding populations of waterbirds in Finnish Lapland

2016

Climate change may affect bird populations both directly by changing the weather conditions, and indirectly through changes in the food chain. While both theoretical and empirical studies have shown climate change having drastic impacts on polar areas, its consequences on Arctic bird species are still poorly known. Here we investigated how weather and changes in predator–prey interactions affected the annual growth rates of sub-Arctic birds by monitoring the breeding numbers of three duck and seven wader species in the alpine tundra of Finnish Lapland during 2005–2015 (except for 2006). We hypothesized that growth rates of waterbirds would be positively associated with warm and dry weather …

In the name of security : Governmentality apparatus in a multilingual mine in Arctic Finland

2021

This critical sociolinguistic study explores how mining work is governed in the name of security in a mine in Arctic Finland. Although the mining industry is dominated by multinational corporations, mines themselves tend to be concentrated in peripheries where a mobile and multilingual workforce is recruited. Mining is a high-risk business: industrial accidents and environmental damage can be severe. Discursive practices play a crucial role in risk management. In this study, the nexus of language, security, and production in mining work is analyzed by applying the Foucauldian concept of 'governmentality'. The data comprise ethnographic observations, work-related documents, and interviews co…

Sex differences in correlates of intermediate phenotypes and prevalent cardiovascular disease in the general population

2015

Background: There are marked sex differences in cardiovascular disease (CVD) manifestation. It is largely unknown how the distribution of CVD risk factors or intermediate phenotypes explain sex-specific differences. Methods and Results: In 5000 individuals of the population-based Gutenberg Health Study, mean age 55 ± 11 years, 51% males, we examined sex-specific associations of classical CVD risk factors with intima-media thickness, ankle-brachial index, flow-mediated dilation, peripheral arterial tonometry, echocardiographic, and electrocardiographic variables. Intermediate cardiovascular phenotypes were related to prevalent CVD [coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke, myocardial i…

Importance of diet and prophylactic treatment on survival and immunity of polyphagous Arctia plantaginis (Arctiidae) larvae

2018

Diet is one of the major factors directly and indirectly influencing insect’s life history traits and risk of getting infected. Additionally the insect’s fitness is severely affected by the broad diversity of parasites they are exposed to. As a consequence insects have developed well-evolved defences. Behavioural responses include self-medication, the ability of insects to change dietary intake in response to an infection. When studying this ability it is of major importance to consider the insects natural diet range. In this thesis I investigated the effect of different host plants on fitness and immunocompetence of polyphagous Arctia plantaginis larvae and whether the larvae can therapeut…

CONSORTIUM ERCTO NON CITO E STRUTTURE AGGREGATIVE ARCAICHE (Comunanza gentilizia e proprietà familiare)

Affordances and Agential Realism : A Relational Ontology for a Relational Theory

2018

Relational view of affordance theory has emerged as a viable theory in Information Systems (IS) research to explain variation in IS use. According to this theory, what a specific person can achieve with a technology is neither inherent in the person himself nor on the technology but emerges from their interaction. Despite that such relational view implies relational ontology, the ontological foundations have been insufficiently theorized which limits both its practical and theoretical applicability and explanatory power. In this paper, I suggest that Karen Barad’s relational ontology, known as agential realism, provides coherent and solid foundations for affordances that are especially suit…

Systemic blockade of ACVR2B ligands attenuates muscle wasting in ischemic heart failure without compromising cardiac function

2020

Signaling through activin receptors regulates skeletal muscle mass and activin receptor 2B (ACVR2B) ligands are also suggested to participate in myocardial infarction (MI) pathology in the heart. In this study, we determined the effect of systemic blockade of ACVR2B ligands on cardiac function in experimental MI, and defined its efficacy to revert muscle wasting in ischemic heart failure (HF). Mice were treated with soluble ACVR2B decoy receptor (ACVR2B-Fc) to study its effect on post-MI cardiac remodeling and on later HF. Cardiac function was determined with echocardiography, and myocardium analyzed with histological and biochemical methods for hypertrophy and fibrosis. Pharmacological blo…

Changement climatique et suivi de la biodiversité marine côtière aux Iles Kerguelen

2018

Nearshore marine habitats of the French sub-Antarctic islands concentrate a rich and unique biodiversity that is currently facing climate change and its still not well-understood and multifaceted effects. Understanding the impact of these changes and predicting the potential response of ecosystems requires advanced knowledge of marine life and the achievement of uninterrupted and long-term observing programs. The Proteker program, no. 1044 of the French Polar Institute Paul-Émile Victor, has been developped in partnership with the National Nature Reserve of French Southern Territories in order to establish an observatory of coastal marine biodiversity in the Kerguelen Islands and evaluate t…