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The purpose of this article is to present and discuss the development of a system for assessing and improving healthcare organisations. The system components comprise (1) a framework or model for assessing, measuring, diagnosing and improving healthcare organisations, (2) a simple methodology for data collection, data analysis and prioritising improvement areas and (3) an index named ILL (innovati
Diabetic retinopathy is an ophthalmic complication of diabetes that currently affects 93 million people worldwide. Diabetic macular edema is a subtype of diabetic retinopathy that is characterized by leaking blood vessels in the central part of the retina, and it is a major cause of vision loss in individuals with diabetes. Screening for retinopathy is performed at regular intervals to identify su
We used an extensive dataset (1220 vegetation plots of 1 m(2)) to study vegetation gradients and fine-scale plant diversity in dry calcareous grasslands (including alvar grasslands) in the Baltic Sea region. The study area covers the entire European distributional range of alvar habitats: Sweden (Oland, Gotland, Gotaland), Estonia (Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, north Estonia, west Estonia), and western Russi
The world is facing of a number of great challenges as the population is growing and living habits are getting more resource demanding. At the same time as food security has to be assured, growth in biofuel and meat production pose a risk for increasing land use conflicts and negative environmental consequences. In this report production of food, feed and biofuels are discussed from a land use pe
Feedbacks between the terrestrial carbon cycle and the atmosphere have the potential to greatly modify expected rates of future climate change. This makes it all the more urgent to exploit all existing data for the purpose of accurate modelling of the underlying processes. Here we use a Bayesian random sampling method to constrain parameters of the Farquhar model of leaf photosynthesis and a model
Coastal hypoxia is increasing in the global coastal zone, where it is recognized as a major threat to biota. Managerial efforts to prevent hypoxia and achieve recovery of ecosystems already affected by hypoxia are largely based on nutrient reduction plans. However, these managerial efforts need to be informed by predictions on the thresholds of hypoxia (i.e. the oxygen levels required to conserve
Nutrient loads from the land to the sea must be reduced to combat coastal eutrophication. It has been suggested that further mitigation efforts are needed in the brackish Baltic Sea to decrease nutrients, especially in eutrophic coastal areas. Mussel farming is a potential measure to remove nutrients directly from the sea. Mussels consume phytoplankton containing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P); w
Changes in the seasonal timing of life history events are documented effects of climate change. We used a general model to study how dispersal and competitive interactions affect eco-evolutionary responses to changes in the temporal distribution of resources over the season. Specifically, we modeled adaptation of the timing of reproduction and population dynamic responses in two competing populati
We assessed the role of vegetation and hydrology in the Si cycle in the Okavango Delta. Our results show a large storage of biogenic Si (BSi) in vegetation and the sediments. The biological storage is among the highest observed so far for any ecosystem worldwide. Floodplain vegetation accumulates similar amounts of BSi in both the temporary floodplains and the permanent floodplains, with most valu
We review approaches to predicting carbon and nitrogen allocation in forest models in terms of their underlying assumptions and their resulting strengths and limitations. Empirical and allometric methods are easily developed and computationally efficient, but lack the power of evolution-based approaches to explain and predict multifaceted effects of environmental variability and climate change. In
A detailed diatom record from Lake Kälksjön, west-central Sweden, reveals two periods of abrupt ecological change correlative with the 8.2 ka cooling event. Using a combination of abrupt step changes and piece-wise linear regressions, the diatom data were analysed for change points over time, and two sudden and large events that are described as regime shifts were detected. During the first event
All species of Hieracium sectt. Hieracium, Vulgata (incl. Bifida) and Oreadea originally described from the Nordic countries, but reported in recent accounts as occuring in the British Isles, have been scrutinised based on specimens and published descriptions. Out of 29 species stated as occurring in Britain and native to Fennoscandia, only four are confirmed (H. caesiomurorum, H. oistophyllum, H.
Human activities, especially increased nutrient loads that set in motion a cascading chain of events related to eutrophication, accelerate development of hypoxia (lower oxygen concentration) in many areas of the world's coastal ocean. Climate changes and extreme weather events may modify hypoxia. Organismal and fisheries effects are at the heart of the coastal hypoxia issue, but more subtle regime
Describing the biotic and abiotic processes that are responsible for the formation of spatial patterns in predators and their prey is crucial for improving our understanding of food-web interactions. We studied the spatial distribution of four abundant spider species and three common groups of epedaphic Collembola prey in a beech-dominated (Fagus sylvatica) forest floor habitat and related the obs
The Monte Carlo method has become increasingly used to simulate imaging systems like the scintillation camera and SPECT systems. In order to investigate intrinsic properties of SPECT systems the Monte Carlo based application SIMIND (Simulating Medical Imaging Nuclear Detectors) has been developed. Up to now, it has not been able to simulate a pinhole-imaging device with SIMND. The aim of this work
Background: Electroencephalography (EEG) is widely used to assess neurological prognosis in patients who are comatose after cardiac arrest, but its value is limited by varying definitions of pathological patterns and by inter-rater variability. The American Clinical Neurophysiology Society (ACNS) has recently proposed a standardized EEG-terminology for critical care to address these limitations. I
The life-history parameters of most living organisms are modified by fluctuations in environmental conditions. The impact of environmental autocorrelation on population persistence is well understood in single species systems. However, in multi-species communities the impact of stochasticity is complicated by the possibility of different species having differing intrinsic responses to the environm
We determined the proportion of butterfly species that occur as metapopulations with grasslands as the only habitat. We counted all butterflies in 19 semi-natural grassland patches in a forest-dominated landscape in southern Sweden over a 5-y period. Seven of the 44 butterfly species observed exhibited a metapopulation structure. The other species either use grassland mainly for adult feeding but
The release of dissolved silicon (DSi) from A and B horizons was investigated with leaching tests on unsaturated columns. As forest A horizons have larger biogenic Si (BSi) pools than arable lands, we compared the Si release from a forest and a cropland from the same geographical region developed on a Luvisol in Belgium and a Cambisol in Sweden. The A horizons released a quickly dissolving Si frac
