The global abundance of tree palms

Aim Palms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change. Location Tropical and subtropical moist forests. Time period Current. Major taxa studied Palms (Arecaceae). Methods We assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure. Results On average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work. Conclusions Tree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests

Hacia la construcción de las prácticas comunitarias de terapeutas ocupacionales en Chile, desde una mirada socio histórica, desde 1972 hasta la actualidad

This investigation will show the process of constructing Occupational Therapy practices that have been realized from various perspectives via community work in Chile, attempting to understand its development in the different social and historical periods since 1972 until the present time, emphasizing experience accounts, wich make clear the relation between social and historical contexts and practices.The methodology employed in this work was qualitative with information based on eleven semi-structured interviews and a discussion group. The information was analyzed using the Grounded Theory, through opened and axial categories, related to a central theoretical axis.The findings conclude that the social and historical contexts determine the way of doing community practice in Chile, and these affect the interaction with community, favoring or making difficult their social participation. The therapist is part of that social and historical context. Therefore, his identity, work team and community practice are constructed there.Nevertheless, if he does not become conscious of his practice and how it has been constructed, he will not build the political dimension of his work. To be in charge of daily occupation in the community field involves an understanding of the social and historical reality, determining the community practices of the Occupational Therapists and likewise theconstruction of community.Esta investigación, muestra la construcción de prácticas de Terapeutas Ocupacionales que, desde diversas perspectivas, han realizado trabajo comunitario en Chile, pretendiendo comprender su desarrollo en distintos contextos históricos desde 1972 hasta la actualidad,rescatando relatos en base a la experiencia, que den cuenta de la relación entre contextos socio históricos y prácticas comunitarias.La metodología utilizada para este estudio fue cualitativa. Se recopiló información mediante once entrevistas semiestructuradas y un grupo de discusión. Posteriormente, se analizó lainformación a través de Teoría Fundada, en diferentes categorías, abierta y axial con un ejecentral en discusión con planteamientos teóricos.Los hallazgos de este estudio, permiten concluir que los contextos socio históricos determinan las formas de hacer prácticas comunitarias en Chile; y éstas, a su vez, influyen en lainteracción con la comunidad favoreciendo o dificultando su participación social. El Terapeuta Ocupacional es parte de ese contexto sociohistórico por lo que su identidad, equipo de trabajo y su práctica comunitaria está configurada y construida desde ahí, sin embargo, el no hacer consciente sus prácticas y cómo éstas se han construido, no permitiría establecer la dimensión política de su hacer. Ocuparse de la ocupación, junto con la cotidianeidad en el campo comunitario implica una comprensión de la realidad socio-histórica, determinando las prácticas comunitarias de los Terapeutas Ocupacionales así como la construcción de comunidad

The value of open-source clinical science in pandemic response: lessons from ISARIC

International audienc

Characteristics and outcomes of an international cohort of 600 000 hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Background: We describe demographic features, treatments and clinical outcomes in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 cohort, one of the world's largest international, standardized data sets concerning hospitalized patients. Methods: The data set analysed includes COVID-19 patients hospitalized between January 2020 and January 2022 in 52 countries. We investigated how symptoms on admission, co-morbidities, risk factors and treatments varied by age, sex and other characteristics. We used Cox regression models to investigate associations between demographics, symptoms, co-morbidities and other factors with risk of death, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Results: Data were available for 689 572 patients with laboratory-confirmed (91.1%) or clinically diagnosed (8.9%) SARS-CoV-2 infection from 52 countries. Age [adjusted hazard ratio per 10 years 1.49 (95% CI 1.48, 1.49)] and male sex [1.23 (1.21, 1.24)] were associated with a higher risk of death. Rates of admission to an ICU and use of IMV increased with age up to age 60 years then dropped. Symptoms, co-morbidities and treatments varied by age and had varied associations with clinical outcomes. The case-fatality ratio varied by country partly due to differences in the clinical characteristics of recruited patients and was on average 21.5%. Conclusions: Age was the strongest determinant of risk of death, with a ∼30-fold difference between the oldest and youngest groups; each of the co-morbidities included was associated with up to an almost 2-fold increase in risk. Smoking and obesity were also associated with a higher risk of death. The size of our international database and the standardized data collection method make this study a comprehensive international description of COVID-19 clinical features. Our findings may inform strategies that involve prioritization of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who have a higher risk of death