Growth, leaf traits and litter decomposition of roadside hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L.× P. tremuloides Michx.) clones.

Road traffic contributes considerably to ground-level air pollution and is therefore likely to affect roadside ecosystems. Differences in growth and leaf traits among 13 hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × P. tremuloides) clones were studied in relation to distance from a motorway.

Urbanization-related changes in European aspen (Populus tremula L.): leaf traits and litter decomposition.

We investigated foliar and litter responses of European aspen (Populus tremula L.) to urbanization, including factors such as increased temperature, moisture stress and nitrogen (N) deposition. Leaf samples were collected in 2006-2008 from three urban and three rural forest stands in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, southern Finland, and reciprocal litter transplantations were established between urban and rural sites.

Influences of elevated ozone and carbon dioxide in growth responses of lowland hay meadow mesocosms.

We studied the effects of relatively low levels of O(3) (40-50 ppb) and CO(2)-enrichment (+100 ppm) on a northern European lowland hay meadow during the summers 2002-2004 using open-top chambers (OTCs) and ground-planted mesocosms. Ozone reduced the aboveground biomass of the community (up to 40%), and four out of seven species (Campanula rotundifolia, Fragaria vesca, Trifolium medium, Vicia cracca) showed either significant growth reduction and/or visible injuries under elevated O(3). However, the reductions in aboveground biomass were not reflected as changes in the dominance of different functional groups or in the total community root biomass.

Predictors of mortality: an international comparison of socio-demographic and health characteristics from six longitudinal studies on aging: the CLESA project.

Purpose: Multiple factors contribute to mortality in the elderly, but the extent to which traditional factors contribute independently to mortality in different countries is not known. Our objective is to determine the differential impact of socio-demographic variables, selected diseases, health habits and disability on all-cause mortality, among older people living in five European countries and Israel.

Methods: From six longitudinal studies on aging (TamELSA-Tampere (Finland), CALAS-Israel, ILSA-Italy, LASA-Netherlands, AL-Leganés (Spain), SATSA-Sweden), a harmonized common database was created in the context of the CLESA Project (Cross-national determinants of quality of life and health services for the elderly).

Are IADLs comparable across countries? Sociodemographic associates of harmonized IADL measures.

Background And Aims: Independence in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) is determined not only by physical ability but also by the environmental and cultural surroundings of the individual. The present study describes the harmonization of data on IADL functioning of the Comparison of Longitudinal European Studies on Aging (CLESA) Project. The focus of this report is to examine the comparability of IADLs across countries and to study the association of IADLs with age, gender and socioeconomic status, and the scalability of the measure.

Cross-national determinants of quality of life from six longitudinal studies on aging: the CLESA project.

Background And Aims: The Comparison of Longitudinal European Studies on Aging (CLESA) Project, here presented for the first time, is a collaborative study involving five European and one Israeli longitudinal study on aging. The aim of this paper is to describe the methodology developed for the harmonization of data and the creation of a Common Data Base (CDB), and to investigate the distribution of some selected common variables among the six countries. The design of each study is briefly introduced and the methodology leading to the harmonization of the common variables is described.