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No-tillage (NT) practice is extensively adopted with aims to improve soil physical conditions, carbon (C) sequestration and to alleviate greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions without compromising crop yield. However, the influences of NT on GHGs emissions and crop yields remains inconsistent. A global meta-analysis was performed by using fifty peer-reviewed publications to assess the effectiveness of
BACKGROUND: We explored the association of N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with metabolic traits in a bi-ethnic African-Caucasian cohort.METHODS: Baseline examinations of the Sympathetic activity and Ambulatory Blood Pressure in African (SABPA) prospective cohort study were performed between 2008 and 2009, and re-examination after a three-year follow up in South African teacher
Root exudates are a labile source of carbon (C) for microorganisms that can lead to increased CO2 emission. Root exudates can vary in C:N stoichiometric ratio and their impact on microbially driven soil organic matter (SOM) turnover in paddy soils still remains unclear. The objective was to explore the underlying mechanisms involved in SOM decomposition due to root exudate (artificial) addition wi
The building of sustainable innovation capabilities in Africa requiresan innovation system capable of producing, disseminating andusing new knowledge. This paper assesses the process ofconstructing the National Innovation System (NIS) in Rwanda. It isposited that consensus on and acceptance of the concept of NISamong stakeholders is crucial in the early process of constructingan efficient and dynaThe building of sustainable innovation capabilities in Africa requires an innovation system capable of producing, disseminating and using new knowledge. This paper assesses the process of constructing the National Innovation System (NIS) in Rwanda. It is posited that consensus on and acceptance of the concept of NIS among stakeholders is crucial in the early process of constructing an efficient an
Background: Plasma biomarkers may be useful to detect healthy individuals at increased risk for atherosclerotic manifestations, such as carotid artery stenosis. The aim of this longitudinal cohort study was to evaluate new biomarkers in relation to C-reactive protein and conventional risk factors for carotid artery stenosis during long term follow-up Methods: The following markers were measured in
Rice paddy agro-ecosystems play an important role in global carbon (C) sequestration. Because of flooding management, paddy soil experience periodical changes in oxygen availability, which may make soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralisation unique as compared to upland or other wetland ecosystems. However, at present, information about the relevant mechanisms involved in paddy SOC mineralisation is
Previous studies on metabolic factors and bladder cancer (BC) risk have shown inconsistent results and have commonly not investigated associations separately by sex, smoking, and tumor invasiveness. Among 811,633 participants in six European cohorts, we investigated sex-specific associations between body mass index (BMI), mid-blood pressure (BP, [systolic + diastolic]/2), plasma glucose, triglycer
Large grazers are known to affect ecosystem functioning even to the degree where ecosystems transition to another vegetation state. Alongside the vegetation change, several features of ecosystem functioning, such as ecosystem carbon sink capacity and soil carbon mineralisation rates, may be altered. It has remained largely uninvestigated how the grazing effects on carbon cycling processes depend o
Boreal forests exchange large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) with the atmosphere. A managed boreal landscape usually comprises various potential CO2 sinks and sources across forest stands of varying age classes, clear-cut areas, mires, and lakes. Due to this heterogeneity and complexity, large uncertainties exist regarding the net CO2 balance at the landscape scale. In this study, we present the
The development of cognitive robots in ROS still lacks the support of some key components: a knowledge integration framework and a framework for autonomous mission execution. In this research chapter, we will discuss our skill-based platform SkiROS, that was developed on top of ROS in order to organize robot knowledge and its behavior. We will show how SkiROS offers the possibility to integrate di
This mapping provides an overview of different types of arenas where the two concepts Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and Blue Carbon (BC) are discussed. EbA has been defined by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) as “The use of biodiversity and ecosystem services as part of an overall adaptation strategy to help people to adapt to the adverse effects of climate change.” (CBD, 2009). BC
This report is a result of a cooperation project between Lund University in Sweden and the Koninklijk Nederlands Meteorologisch Instituut, KNMI, in the Netherlands. The overall aim of the project was to provide an initial mapping of providers and purveyors of climate services in the Netherlands and Sweden. In total, 64 organisations participated in the study, through questionnaire replies and/or i
OBJECTIVE: Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) shares clinical features with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes; however, there is ongoing debate regarding the precise definition of LADA. Understanding its genetic basis is one potential strategy to gain insight into appropriate classification of this diabetes subtype.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We performed the first genome-wide association
In this study we introduce a novel extension of an existing Lagrangian particle dispersion model for application over urban areas by explicitly taking into account the urban canopy layer. As commonly done, the original model uses the zero-plane displacement as a lower boundary condition, while the extension reaches to the ground. To achieve this, spatially-averaged parametrizations of flow and tur
Urbanization is a major contributor to biodiversity declines. However, studies assessing effects of urban landscapes per se (i.e., disentangled from focal habitat effects) on biodiversity across spatial scales are lacking. Understanding such scale-dependent effects is fundamental to preserve habitats along an urbanization gradient in a way that maximizes overall biodiversity. We investigated the i
Land sharing versus land sparing describes contrasting strategies to conserve biodiversity while maintaining agricultural production. We comprehensively reviewed empirical studies comparing land-sharing and land-sparing strategies to assess how these were conceptualized and how consequences for biodiver- sity, commodity production, and additional ecosystem services have been quantified. Out of 52
The factors that influence the atherosclerotic disease process in high-risk individuals remain poorly understood. Here, we used a combination of vascular imaging, risk factor assessment, and biomarkers to identify factors associated with 3-year change in carotid disease severity in a cohort of high-risk subjects treated with preventive therapy (n = 865). The results show that changes in intima-med
The mechanisms leading to the occurrence of extreme weather and climate events are varied and complex. They generally encompass a combination of dynamic and thermodynamic processes, as well as drivers external to the climate system, such as anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and land use change. Here we present the ExtremeX multi-model intercomparison experiment, which was designed to investig
Peatland ecosystems emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOC), which have a net cooling impact on the climate. However, the quality and quantity of BVOC emissions, and how they are regulated by vegetation and peatland type remain poorly understood. Here we measured BVOC emissions with dynamic enclosures from two major boreal peatland types, a minerotrophic fen and an ombrotrophic bog situate
