Morphological characteristics of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine regeneration nine years after stand density reduction at three sites in central Oregon

Without the natural occurrence of fire in ponderosa pine forests of the western US, lodgepole pine has started to dominate regeneration in many forest stands and may be gradually replacing ponderosa pine over time. This development, however, conflicts with recent efforts in this region to restore old-aged, open ponderosa pine forests, and active management may be needed to ensure the establishment and survival of ponderosa pine. The objectives of this study were to test the effects of various stand densities on ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine regeneration between 0.1 and 1.3 m in height, compare their seedling density, morphological characteristics, and height growth rates and determine the best morphological predictors of height growth at three sites in central Oregon. Ponderosa pine seems more persistent in forest understory conditions than lodgepole pine and a high percentage of ponderosa pine seedlings originated from advance regeneration with ages of more than 30 years commonly measured in these seedlings. Lodgepole pine seedlings, on the other hand, seemed to have established primarily after stand density reduction, as indicated by their younger minimum ages and low survival of tall seedlings, especially at high overstory densities. After stand density reduction, high rates of seedling establishment, rapid height growth and rapid crown development seem to enable this species to more quickly occupy growing space than ponderosa pine. The morphological variables best predicting absolute height growth in both species and at all three sites were absolute height growth in the previous year, the number of needle fascicles on the main stem, stem diameter at the root collar, and initial seedling height. In addition to initial seedling height and in addition to initial seedling height and overstory density, the best predictors were the number of needle fascicles on the main stem and needle density on the main stem and terminal leader. In general, there were significant effects of species, initial seedling height, and overstory density on morphological characteristics and height growth. Silvicultural treatments should consider the effects that different stand densities have on the competitive ability of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine. Light and frequent reductions in stand density that leave significant residual canopy in these stands (>20 m2/ha), may be more favorable to ponderosa pine than to lodgepole pine regeneration. Conversely, after a higher stand density reduction more growing space is available to seedlings in the absence of serious competition with understory vegetation and may be a competitive advantage of lodgepole pine over ponderosa pine. This advantage may last into maturity and conflict with restoration efforts by inevitably changing the structure and dynamics of these ponderosa pine forests

Risk scoring models for predicting peri-operative morbidity and mortality in people with fragility hip fractures: qualitative systematic review

Rationale: Accurate peri-operative risk prediction is an essential element of clinical practice. Various risk stratification tools for assessing patients’ risk of mortality or morbidity have been developed and applied in clinical practice over the years. This review aims to outline essential characteristics (predictive accuracy, objectivity, clinical utility) of currently available risk scoring tools for hip fracture patients. Methods: We searched eight databases; AMED, CINHAL, Clinical Trials.gov, Cochrane, DARE, EMBASE, MEDLINE and Web of Science for all relevant studies published until April 2015. We included published English language observational studies that considered the predictive accuracy of risk stratification tools for patients with fragility hip fracture. Results: After removal of duplicates, 15,620 studies were screened. Twenty-nine papers met the inclusion criteria, evaluating 25 risk stratification tools. Risk stratification tools considered in more than two studies were; ASA, CCI, E-PASS, NHFS and O-POSSUM. All tools were moderately accurate and validated in multiple studies; however there are some limitations to consider. The E-PASS and O-POSSUM are comprehensive but complex, and require intraoperative data making them a challenge for use on patient bedside. The ASA, CCI and NHFS are simple, easy and inexpensive using routinely available preoperative data. Contrary to the ASA and CCI which has subjective variables in addition to other limitations, the NHFS variables are all objective. Conclusion: In the search for a simple and inexpensive, easy to calculate, objective and accurate tool, the NHFS may be the most appropriate of the currently available scores for hip fracture patients. However more studies need to be undertaken before it becomes a national hip fracture risk stratification or audit tool of choice

Skunk River Review Fall 2001, vol 13

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/skunkriver/1022/thumbnail.jp

Survival models with preclustered gene groups as covariates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An important application of high dimensional gene expression measurements is the risk prediction and the interpretation of the variables in the resulting survival models. A major problem in this context is the typically large number of genes compared to the number of observations (individuals). Feature selection procedures can generate predictive models with high prediction accuracy and at the same time low model complexity. However, interpretability of the resulting models is still limited due to little knowledge on many of the remaining selected genes. Thus, we summarize genes as gene groups defined by the hierarchically structured Gene Ontology (GO) and include these gene groups as covariates in the hazard regression models. Since expression profiles within GO groups are often heterogeneous, we present a new method to obtain subgroups with coherent patterns. We apply preclustering to genes within GO groups according to the correlation of their gene expression measurements.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We compare Cox models for modeling disease free survival times of breast cancer patients. Besides classical clinical covariates we consider genes, GO groups and preclustered GO groups as additional genomic covariates. Survival models with preclustered gene groups as covariates have similar prediction accuracy as models built only with single genes or GO groups.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The preclustering information enables a more detailed analysis of the biological meaning of covariates selected in the final models. Compared to models built only with single genes there is additional functional information contained in the GO annotation, and compared to models using GO groups as covariates the preclustering yields coherent representative gene expression profiles.</p

Exceedance of critical loads and of critical limits impacts tree nutrition across Europe

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Analyse Transactionnelle Suisse romande – Recueil d'articles 2020

Articles diffusés par l'Association Suisse d’Analyse Transactionnelle – Suisse romande durant l'année 2020. Articles - Qu’est ce que l’AT apporte au monde ? - Enseignement spécialisé et AT – Entrevue - Conseil pédagogique et AT – Entrevue - L’accouchement-marathon - Les enjeux relationnels de la coopération - Les étapes de la coopération - La fosse de rösti – une mine d’or pour des expériences sur la diversité -La complexité par la diversité – Quelle signification pour la gestion des organisations ? - L’économie de l’autonomie – Les martiens ont-ils disparu ? - La coopération dans les institutions et hôpitaux – Entrevue Résumés - Le sens des valeurs que l’on porte - Interventions dans l’accompagnement professionnel de couples - Brunch entre amis - Lors des moments difficiles, l’AT nous porte - Counselling de couple avec AT et sexualité : un couple inégal ? - On devait toujours parler de tout... discussion père fille Divers - Éditorial - Prendre soin de nous durant la pandémie - Célébrons Fanita English, joyeux 104e anniversaire - Pleine conscience – regards croisés : retour sur la journée de l’ASAT-SR - Hommages à Jenni Hine - Entrevue avec Sally Cuénin - Anciens numéro

Cerebral small vessel disease genomics and its implications across the lifespan

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are the most common brain-imaging feature of cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), hypertension being the main known risk factor. Here, we identify 27 genome-wide loci for WMH-volume in a cohort of 50,970 older individuals, accounting for modification/confounding by hypertension. Aggregated WMH risk variants were associated with altered white matter integrity (p = 2.5×10-7) in brain images from 1,738 young healthy adults, providing insight into the lifetime impact of SVD genetic risk. Mendelian randomization suggested causal association of increasing WMH-volume with stroke, Alzheimer-type dementia, and of increasing blood pressure (BP) with larger WMH-volume, notably also in persons without clinical hypertension. Transcriptome-wide colocalization analyses showed association of WMH-volume with expression of 39 genes, of which four encode known drug targets. Finally, we provide insight into BP-independent biological pathways underlying SVD and suggest potential for genetic stratification of high-risk individuals and for genetically-informed prioritization of drug targets for prevention trials.Peer reviewe

Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance

Children’s and adolescents’ rising animal-source food intakes in 1990–2018 were impacted by age, region, parental education and urbanicity

Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF consumption programmes.publishedVersio