Does trait variation within broadly distributed species mirror patterns across species? A case study in Puerto Rico

Although populations are phenotypically diverse, the majority of trait‐based studies have focused on examining differences among species. The justification for this broadly applied approach is based on the assumption that differences among species are always greater than within species. This is likely true for local communities, but species are often broadly distributed across a wide range of environments and patterns of intraspecific variation might surpass differences among species. Therefore, an appropriate interpretation of the functional diversity requires an assessment of patterns of trait variation across different ecological scales. In this study, we examine and characterize patterns of leaf trait variation for species that are broadly distributed along an elevational gradient. We focus on seven leaf traits that represent a main axis of functional differentiation in plants reflecting the balance between photosynthetic efficiency, display, and stomatal conductance. We evaluated patterns of trait variance across ecological scales (elevation, species, populations, and individuals) and examined trait covariance at both within species and across species levels, along the elevation gradient. Our results show three key patterns: (1) intraspecific leaf trait variation for broadly distributed species is comparable to the interspecific trait variation, (2) the trait variance structure is highly variable across species, and (3) trait coordination between pairs of leaf traits is evident across species along the gradient, but not always within species. Combined, our results show that trait coordination and covariance are highly idiosyncratic across broadly distributed and co‐occurring species, indicating that species may achieve similar functional roles even when exhibiting different phenotypes. This result challenges the traditional paradigm of functional ecology that assumes single trait values as optimal solutions for environments. In conclusion, patterns of trait variation both across and within species should be considered in future studies that assess trade‐offs among traits over environmental gradients.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150574/1/ecy2745-sup-0001-AppendixS1.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150574/2/ecy2745_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150574/3/ecy2745.pd

Design of an Information System for optimizing the Programming of nursing work shifts

Health institutions operate twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They face a demand that fluctuates daily. Unlike jobs with fixed hours and obligatory days off, in health, operational continuity is required. The allocation for nursing shifts generates a rotation of people for health services according to legal and casuistic guidelines. Assigning and planning shifts results in a workload that takes an average of five to six extra hours. Existing applications offer a partial solution because they do not consider the news and contingencies of a health service. A web application is presented that, given a list of nurses, historical shifts and restrictions, a work shift planning is generated. This application comes to support the current shift allocation method based on electronic spreadsheets. The development consists of two modules. The first module has a shift allocation algorithm developed in C ++ and the second module has a graphical interface. As a case study, a set of health services from Chile and Colombia was used. The services have a defined number of nurses, who work different shifts according to the role and need of the institution. The results obtained are similar to a historical one. The proposed system takes less time and delivers various files and parameters that can be useful for nurses, the service and the health institutio

Intervención psiquiátrica en programa de trasplantes

ResumenEn los últimos años la Psiquiatría de Enlace e Interconsulta ha experimentado un salto cualitativo, acercándose al espacio común del resto de las especialidades médicas: el hospital general. La participación de psiquiatras en programas clínicos específicos como las unidades de trasplantes de órganos sólidos tiene fundamentaciones técnicas precisas dada la correlación entre síntomas psíquicos y las características clínicas específicas de las enfermedades médicas que requieren de este procedimiento. Cada vez hay una mayor preocupación en los clínicos y cirujanos en relación a los factores psíquicos que obstaculizan la adherencia a los tratamientos e indicaciones médicas tanto antes como después de efectuado el trasplante. La población de pacientes pre y post-trasplantados exhiben elevadas tasas de cuadros psiquiátricos específicos que ameritan un tratamiento coordinado multidisciplinario. El objetivo de este trabajo es mostrar la experiencia inicial que estamos desarrollando en la Unidad de Trasplantes de Clínica Las Condes.SummaryIn recent years consultation-liaison psychiatry has experienced a quantum leap closer to the common space of the other medical specialties: the general hospital. The participation in clinical programs such as the units of solid organ transplants have required technical arguments given the correlation between psychiatric symptoms and the clinical features of specific medical illness that require this procedure. During the last time, there have been and increasingly concern among clinicians and surgeons in regard to the psychological factors that affect the adherence to treatment and medical advice before and after transplant. The population concerning pre and post transplantation issues, exhibits significant rates of specifics psychiatric disorders which require evaluation and drug treatment specialist coordination. The aim of this paper is to show the initial experience we have developed in the transplant unit of Clínica Las Condes, concerning psychiatric and psychosocial issues

Large‐ and small‐seeded species have contrasting functional neighborhoods in a subtropical forest

Forest community composition is the outcome of multiple forces, including those that increase taxonomic and functional divergence and those that promote convergence in traits. The mechanisms underlying these forces may not operate homogenously within communities; individuals of different species are never perfectly mixed, and thus, species tend to be surrounded and interact with different subsets of species. In fact, taxonomic and functional composition of neighborhoods of different focal species can be highly variable. Here, we examine whether mechanisms driving species‐level neighborhoods relate to intrinsic characteristics of focal species such as differences in life‐history and resource‐uptake strategies and in turn relate to species survival. We focus on two key characteristics: (1) seed mass, which defines a dominant axis of life‐history strategies related to stress tolerance, and (2) understory light preferences that sort species from light‐demanding pioneers to shade‐tolerant. We monitored seedling communities over 10 yr in Puerto Rico and calculated neighborhood trait dispersion in species‐level neighborhoods using seven functional traits. We examined whether species‐level characteristics, seed mass and preferred light conditions, influence patterns of functional dispersion in seedling neighborhoods using linear models. Then, we examined how species‐level functional neighborhoods impact seedling survival. We found that small‐ and large‐seeded species diverge in the type of functional neighborhoods they associate with. Large‐seeded species associate with neighbors that are more similar than expected in leaf economic traits, but more different than expected in seed mass and leaf area traits, while the opposite was found for small‐seeded species. This variation in species functional neighborhood was important in determining seedling survival. In sum, our results suggest that divergent and convergent forces do not operate homogenously over entire communities. Their relative role changes in space, and on a species‐by‐species basis, probably with a deterministic foundation linked to traits such as seed mass

Commonness, rarity, and intraspecific variation in traits and performance in tropical tree seedlings

Abstract One of the few rules in ecology is that communities are composed of many rare and few common species. Trait-based investigations of abundance distributions have generally focused on speciesmean trait values with mixed success. Here, using large tropical tree seedling datasets in China and Puerto Rico, we take an alternative approach that considers the magnitude of intraspecific variation in traits and growth as it relates to species abundance. We find that common species are less variable in their traits and growth. Common species also occupy core positions within community trait space indicating that they are finely tuned for the available conditions. Rare species are functionally peripheral and are likely transients struggling for success in the given environment. The work highlights the importance of considering intraspecific variation in trait-based ecology and demonstrates asymmetry in the magnitude of intraspecific variation among species is critical for understanding of how traits are related to abundance

The scale dependency of trait-based tree neighborhood models

Questions: We asked: (a) whether the strength of conspecific and heterospecific neighborhood crowding effects on focal tree survival and growth vary with neighborhood radii; and (b) if the relative strength of the effect of neighborhood interactions on tree growth and survival varies with neighborhood scale. Location: Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot, Puerto Rico. Methods: We used tree survival and growth data and included information on species‐mean trait values related to several leaf traits, maximum height, seed mass and wood density. We incorporated a tree neighborhood modeling approach that uses an area around a focal tree with a specified radius, to describe the interactions between a focal tree and its neighbors. We constructed survival and growth models for each functional trait using a Bayesian approach, and varied the size of the radius from 5 m to 30 m, at 5‐m intervals. Results: The results suggested that the estimated effects of conspecific and heterospecific neighbors on tree performance do not vary based on the size of the neighborhood (5–30 m), suggesting that the effects of conspecific and heterospecific neighbors on the performance of a focal tree likely do not vary substantially beyond a neighborhood radius of 5 m in the Luquillo forest. In contrast, the estimated strength of the functional neighborhood (effect of neighbors based on their functional trait values) on tree performance was dependent on the neighborhood range. Our results also suggested that the effects of trait distances and trait hierarchies on tree survival and growth are acting simultaneously and at the same spatial scales. Conclusion: Findings from this study highlight the importance of spatial scale in community assembly processes, and specifically, call for increased attention when selecting the radius that defines the neighborhood around a focal tree as the selected neighborhood radius influences the community patterns discovered, and affects the conclusions about the drivers that control community assembly

Do Dimensions of Ethnic Identity Mediate the Association Between Perceived Ethnic Group Discrimination and Depressive Symptoms?

Ethnic group discrimination represents a notable risk factor that may contribute to mental health problems among ethnic minority college students. However, cultural resources (e.g., ethnic identity) may promote psychological adjustment in the context of group-based discriminatory experiences. In the current study, we examined the associations between perceptions of ethnic group discrimination and depressive symptoms, and explored dimensions of ethnic identity (i.e., exploration, resolution, and affirmation) as mediators of this process among 2,315 ethnic minority college students (age 18 to 30 years; 37% Black, 63% Latino). Results indicated that perceived ethnic group discrimination was associated positively with depressive symptoms among students from both ethnic groups. The relationship between perceived ethnic group discrimination and depressive symptoms was mediated by ethnic identity affirmation for Latino students, but not for Black students. Ethnic identity resolution was negatively and indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through ethnic identity affirmation for both Black and Latino students. Implications for promoting ethnic minority college students’ mental health and directions for future research are discussed

Dry conditions and disturbance promote liana seedling survival and abundance

Species composition and community structure in Neotropical forests have been severely affected by increases in climate change and disturbance. Among the most conspicuous changes is the proliferation of lianas. These increases have affected not only the carbon storage capacity of forests but also tree dynamics by reducing tree growth and increasing mortality. Despite the importance of lianas in Neotropical forests, most of the studies on lianas have focused on adult stages, ignoring dynamics at the seedlings stage. Here, we asked whether observed increases in liana abundance are associated with a demographic advantage that emerges early in liana ontogeny and with decreased precipitation and increased disturbance. To test this, we compared patterns of growth and survival between liana seedlings and tree seedlings using a long‐term data set of seedling plots from a subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico, USA. Then, we examined the effect of precipitation and land use history on these demographic variables. We found evidence for liana seedling survival advantage over trees, but no growth advantages. This survival advantage exhibited significant temporal variation linked with patterns of rainfall, as well as differences associated with land‐use history in the study area. Furthermore, we found that neighborhood density has a negative effect on liana survival and growth. Our results indicate that liana proliferation is likely related to a survival advantage that emerges in early stages and is influenced by climatic conditions and past disturbance. Predicted climatic changes in rainfall patterns, including more frequent and severe droughts, together with increases in disturbance, could have a significant effect on seedling tropical communities by favoring lianas

Tendinopatía calcificante bilateral del tendón de inserción del músculo flexor carpocubital en un Golden Retriever

Se presenta un caso bilateral de calcificación del tendón de inserción del músculo flexor carpocubital en un Golden Retriever, asociado a una cojera leve de la extremidad anterior derecha. Se describe su clínica, diagnóstivo y tratamiento