Interactivity: A review of the concept and a framework for analysis

The terms `interactivity' and `interactive media' became significant buzz-words during the late 1980s and early 1990s when the multi-media euphoria fascinated politicians, economists, and researchers alike. However, right from the beginning of the scientific debate, the inconsistent usage of the term `interactivity' massively complicated the comparability of numerous empirical studies. This is where this article joins the discussion. First, the article sheds light on the terminological origins of `interactivity' and distinguishes the term from cognate expressions. Further, it restructures and extends existing findings on the basis of a new analysis framework which considers three levels of interactive communication (action level, level of subjective situation evaluation, and level of meaning exchange). Finally, it delivers a systematic overview of specific criteria of interactive communication

Hierarchical top-down control of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes across organisational levels and spatial scales

Biodiversity is one of the fundamental manifestations of life. Nevertheless, is has been increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Land-use change is predicted to have the largest global impact on biodiversity by the year 2100. In European countries, land use is dominated by agriculture which shapes more than half of the land area. In the 20th century, industrialisation supported major changes in agricultural land use, which led to significant declines in biodiversity. These changes were driven by both the intensification of agricultural land management and a loss of area, connectivity and diversity of semi-natural habitats. Since multiple aspects of agrarian land-use change will affect not only species richness but all levels of biodiversity such as genes, individuals, populations, communities, landscapes and ecosystems in specific ways and act across different spatial scales, a detailed knowledge about the relative effects on particular dimensions of biodiversity is important for ecological theory and biodiversity research. The principal objective of this thesis is to explore the relative effects of scale and land-use changes on major organisational levels of biodiversity in European agricultural landscapes. Therefore, this thesis deals with three different aspects of biodiversity realised in the same landscapes: genetics, populations and communities. The first part deals with the spatial genetic structure of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis (L.) in a medium fragmented landscape at the local and landscape scale. The second part focuses on habitat modelling relating occurrence patterns in populations of the butterfly Pararge aegeria (L.) to environmental variables. The third part analyses two aspects of communities. Firstly, we related the similarities among local plant and arthropod communities to land-use variables at the landscape scale while controlling for local effects. We used similarities to consider species identities and abundances. Secondly, the relative effects of land-use factors at three spatial scales (region, landscape, local) on compositional and ecological aspects of local arthropod communities were investigated. Our studies emphasise that environmental change will affect biodiversity significantly at all major organisational levels. Population genetics, population structure, species richness, community similarity, community composition and ecological community characteristics, all responded to environmental factors but in a specific way. In order to address the fundamental question of which factors determine certain biodiversity levels, we disentangled the relative effects of single environmental factors that act on different spatial scales. All three analysed levels of biodiversity (genetics, populations, communities) revealed a clear trend of increasing importance of scale from the local level to the landscape and finally to the region. The genetic diversity of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis was not affected by local features such as patch size or habitat diversity, whereas the observed metapopulation structure indicated a pronounced effect of landscape features. The population response of the butterfly Pararge aegeria was a bit more complex. Under beneficial environmental conditions the impact of local and landscape-scale factors was similar but low. However, adverse conditions revealed an increasing effect of scale from local factors (suitable habitat) to landscape features (number of woody patches) and finally to regional factors (climate). Likewise, the analysis of community turnover, species composition and ecological groups supported these findings and were remarkably similar even between arthropod groups that differ markedly in their ecology. The analysis of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes across organisational levels and spatial scales supported a top-down hierarchical theory of biodiversity. It predicts that local communities are assembled from a regional species pool, which is modulated by large-scale factors such as climate or evolutionary and biogeographical history, through a series of hierarchical filters at the landscape scale and, to a lower extent, at the local scale according to both dispersal- and niche-assembly processes. Dispersal is suggested to be one of the main drivers of biodiversity at the landscape scale. Consequently, land-use change that affects the connectivity of habitats will significantly affect biodiversity by diminishing or even disrupting genetic, population and community processes. However, real species are not entirely neutral as the effects of niche-assembly related processes showed. This calls for a further unification of biodiversity theories that should consider species identities and their ecological role as well as their dispersal ability and spatial patterns across a variety of spatial and temporal scales if one wants to understand the multifaceted manifestations of live

Hierarchical top-down control of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes across organisational levels and spatial scales

Biodiversity is one of the fundamental manifestations of life. Nevertheless, is has been increasingly threatened by anthropogenic activities. Land-use change is predicted to have the largest global impact on biodiversity by the year 2100. In European countries, land use is dominated by agriculture which shapes more than half of the land area. In the 20th century, industrialisation supported major changes in agricultural land use, which led to significant declines in biodiversity. These changes were driven by both the intensification of agricultural land management and a loss of area, connectivity and diversity of semi-natural habitats. Since multiple aspects of agrarian land-use change will affect not only species richness but all levels of biodiversity such as genes, individuals, populations, communities, landscapes and ecosystems in specific ways and act across different spatial scales, a detailed knowledge about the relative effects on particular dimensions of biodiversity is important for ecological theory and biodiversity research. The principal objective of this thesis is to explore the relative effects of scale and land-use changes on major organisational levels of biodiversity in European agricultural landscapes. Therefore, this thesis deals with three different aspects of biodiversity realised in the same landscapes: genetics, populations and communities. The first part deals with the spatial genetic structure of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis (L.) in a medium fragmented landscape at the local and landscape scale. The second part focuses on habitat modelling relating occurrence patterns in populations of the butterfly Pararge aegeria (L.) to environmental variables. The third part analyses two aspects of communities. Firstly, we related the similarities among local plant and arthropod communities to land-use variables at the landscape scale while controlling for local effects. We used similarities to consider species identities and abundances. Secondly, the relative effects of land-use factors at three spatial scales (region, landscape, local) on compositional and ecological aspects of local arthropod communities were investigated. Our studies emphasise that environmental change will affect biodiversity significantly at all major organisational levels. Population genetics, population structure, species richness, community similarity, community composition and ecological community characteristics, all responded to environmental factors but in a specific way. In order to address the fundamental question of which factors determine certain biodiversity levels, we disentangled the relative effects of single environmental factors that act on different spatial scales. All three analysed levels of biodiversity (genetics, populations, communities) revealed a clear trend of increasing importance of scale from the local level to the landscape and finally to the region. The genetic diversity of the land snail Cepaea nemoralis was not affected by local features such as patch size or habitat diversity, whereas the observed metapopulation structure indicated a pronounced effect of landscape features. The population response of the butterfly Pararge aegeria was a bit more complex. Under beneficial environmental conditions the impact of local and landscape-scale factors was similar but low. However, adverse conditions revealed an increasing effect of scale from local factors (suitable habitat) to landscape features (number of woody patches) and finally to regional factors (climate). Likewise, the analysis of community turnover, species composition and ecological groups supported these findings and were remarkably similar even between arthropod groups that differ markedly in their ecology. The analysis of biodiversity in agricultural landscapes across organisational levels and spatial scales supported a top-down hierarchical theory of biodiversity. It predicts that local communities are assembled from a regional species pool, which is modulated by large-scale factors such as climate or evolutionary and biogeographical history, through a series of hierarchical filters at the landscape scale and, to a lower extent, at the local scale according to both dispersal- and niche-assembly processes. Dispersal is suggested to be one of the main drivers of biodiversity at the landscape scale. Consequently, land-use change that affects the connectivity of habitats will significantly affect biodiversity by diminishing or even disrupting genetic, population and community processes. However, real species are not entirely neutral as the effects of niche-assembly related processes showed. This calls for a further unification of biodiversity theories that should consider species identities and their ecological role as well as their dispersal ability and spatial patterns across a variety of spatial and temporal scales if one wants to understand the multifaceted manifestations of live

Species richness-environment relationships of European arthropods at two spatial grains : habitats and countries

We study how species richness of arthropods relates to theories concerning net primary productivity, ambient energy, water-energy dynamics and spatial environmental heterogeneity. We use two datasets of arthropod richness with similar spatial extents (Scandinavia to Mediterranean), but contrasting spatial grain (local habitat and country). Samples of ground-dwelling spiders, beetles, bugs and ants were collected from 32 paired habitats at 16 locations across Europe. Species richness of these taxonomic groups was also determined for 25 European countries based on the Fauna Europaea database. We tested effects of net primary productivity (NPP), annual mean temperature (T), annual rainfall (R) and potential evapotranspiration of the coldest month (PETmin) on species richness and turnover. Spatial environmental heterogeneity within countries was considered by including the ranges of NPP, T, R and PETmin. At the local habitat grain, relationships between species richness and environmental variables differed strongly between taxa and trophic groups. However, species turnover across locations was strongly correlated with differences in T. At the country grain, species richness was significantly correlated with environmental variables from all four theories. In particular, species richness within countries increased strongly with spatial heterogeneity in T. The importance of spatial heterogeneity in T for both species turnover across locations and for species richness within countries suggests that the temperature niche is an important determinant of arthropod diversity. We suggest that, unless climatic heterogeneity is constant across sampling units, coarse-grained studies should always account for environmental heterogeneity as a predictor of arthropod species richness, just as studies with variable area of sampling units routinely consider area

Phylogenetic diversity and nature conservation: where are we?

To date, there is little evidence that phylogenetic diversity has contributed to nature conservation. Here, we discuss the scientific justification of using phylogenetic diversity in conservation and the reasons for its neglect. We show that, apart from valuing the rarity and richness aspect, commonly quoted justifications based on the usage of phylogenetic diversity as a proxy for functional diversity or evolutionary potential are still based on uncertainties. We discuss how a missing guideline through the variety of phylogenetic diversity metrics and their relevance for conservation might be responsible for the hesitation to include phylogenetic diversity in conservation practice. We outline research routes that can help to ease uncertainties and bridge gaps between research and conservation with respect to phylogenetic diversity. A promising but yet ambiguous additional biodiversity component for conservation More than two decades ago, Richard Vane-Wright et al. However, despite the increasing number of studies, the scientific proof of the added value of phylogenetic diversity for nature conservation remains weak. We believe that this is one of the main reasons why phylogenetic diversity is largely neglected in conservation practice In addition to the more general concept of conserving all components of biodiversity because of their intrinsic values, we identified four main conservation approaches that are commonly proposed as central justifications for the conservation of phylogenetic diversity: (i) the rarity aspect; (ii) the richness aspect; (iii) phylogenetic diversity as a proxy for functional diversity; and (iv) phylogenetic diversity as a proxy for evolutionary potential. Along these lines, we emphasize that a sound conceptual justification for the added value of phylogenetic diversity is often missing. We finally highlight desirable research avenues to increase our knowledge of the role of phylogenetic diversity and of how it could potentially improve conservation in the future. Phylogenetic diversity as an intrinsic biodiversity component One general agreement is to conserve all components of biodiversit

Risk Factors and Outcomes of Children with Congenital Heart Disease on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation-A Ten-Year Single-Center Report.

For children born with congenital heart defects (CHDs), extracorporeal life support may be necessary. This retrospective single-center study aimed to investigate the outcomes of children with CHDs on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), focusing on various risk factors. Among the 88 patients, 36 (41%) had a single-ventricle heart defect, while 52 (59%) had a biventricular defect. In total, 25 (28%) survived, with 7 (8%) in the first group and 18 (20%) in the latter. A p-value of 0.19 indicated no significant difference in survival rates. Children with biventricular hearts had shorter ECMO durations but longer stays in the intensive care unit. The overall rate of complications on ECMO was higher in children with a single ventricle (odds ratio [OR] 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-3.7); bleeding was the most common complication in both groups. The occurrence of a second ECMO run was more frequent in patients with a single ventricle (22% vs. 9.6%). ECMO can be effective for children with congenital heart defects, including single-ventricle patients. Bleeding remains a serious complication associated with worse outcomes. Patients requiring a second ECMO run within 30 days have lower survival rates

Bridging with Veno-Arterial Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation in Children: A 10-Year Single-Center Experience

Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-A ECMO) is frequently used in children with and without congenital heart disease (CHD). This study, of a single-center and retrospective design, evaluated the use and timing of V-A ECMO in a pediatric cohort who underwent V-A ECMO implantation between January 2009 and December 2019. The patients were divided into a pre-/non-surgical group and a post-surgical group. Among the investigated variables were age, gender, weight, duration of ECMO, ECMO indication, and ventricular physiology, with only the latter being statistically relevant between the two groups. A total of 111 children (58 male/53 female), with a median age of 87 days (IQR: 7-623) were supported using V-A ECMO. The pre-/non-surgical group consisted of 59 patients and the post-surgical group of 52 patients. Survival at discharge was 49% for the pre-/non-surgical group and 21% for the surgical group (p = 0.04). Single-ventricle physiology was significant for a worse outcome (p = 0.0193). Heart anatomy still has the biggest role in the outcomes of children on ECMO. Nevertheless, children with CHD can be successfully bridged with ECMO to cardiac operation

Risk Factors and Outcomes of Children with Congenital Heart Disease on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation-A Ten-Year Single-Center Report

For children born with congenital heart defects (CHDs), extracorporeal life support may be necessary. This retrospective single-center study aimed to investigate the outcomes of children with CHDs on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), focusing on various risk factors. Among the 88 patients, 36 (41%) had a single-ventricle heart defect, while 52 (59%) had a biventricular defect. In total, 25 (28%) survived, with 7 (8%) in the first group and 18 (20%) in the latter. A p-value of 0.19 indicated no significant difference in survival rates. Children with biventricular hearts had shorter ECMO durations but longer stays in the intensive care unit. The overall rate of complications on ECMO was higher in children with a single ventricle (odds ratio [OR] 1.57, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.67-3.7); bleeding was the most common complication in both groups. The occurrence of a second ECMO run was more frequent in patients with a single ventricle (22% vs. 9.6%). ECMO can be effective for children with congenital heart defects, including single-ventricle patients. Bleeding remains a serious complication associated with worse outcomes. Patients requiring a second ECMO run within 30 days have lower survival rates

Pulmonary hemodynamics before and after pediatric heart transplantation

BACKGROUND Pulmonary hypertension (PH) may limit the outcome of pediatric heart transplantation (pHTx). We evaluated pulmonary hemodynamics in children undergoing pHTx. METHODS Cross-sectional, single-center, observational study analyzing pulmonary hemodynamics in children undergoing pHTx. RESULTS Twenty-three children (female 15) underwent pHTx at median (IQR) age of 3.9 (.9-8.2) years with a time interval between first clinical signs and pHTx of 1.1 (.4-3.2) years. Indications for pHTx included cardiomyopathy (CMP) (n = 17, 74%), congenital heart disease (CHD) (n = 5, 22%), and intracardiac tumor (n = 1, 4%). Before pHTx, pulmonary hemodynamics included elevated pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) 26 (18.5-30) mmHg, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) 19 (14-21) mmHg, left ventricular enddiastolic pressure (LVEDP) 17 (13-22) mmHg. Transpulmonary pressure gradient (TPG) was 6.5 (3.5-10) mmHg and pulmonary vascular resistance (Rp) 2.65 WU*m$^{2}$ (1.87-3.19). After pHTx, at immediate evaluation 2 weeks after pHTx PAP decreased to 20.5 (17-24) mmHg, PCWP 14.5 (10.5-18) mmHg (p < .05), LVEDP 16 (12.5-18) mmHg, TPG 6.5 (4-12) mmHg, Rp 1.49 (1.08-2.74) WU*m$^{2}$ resp.at last invasive follow up 4.0 (1.4-6) years after pHTx, to PAP 19.5 (17-21) mmHg (p < .05), PCWP 13 (10.5-14.5) mmHg (p < .05), LVEDP 13 (10.5-14) mmHg, TPG 7 (5-9.5) mmHg, Rp 1.58 (1.38-2.19) WU*m$^{2}$ (p < .05). In CHD patients PAP increased (p < .05) after pHTx at immediate evaluation and decreased until last follow-up (p < .05), while in CMP patients there was a continuous decline of mean PAP values immediately after HTx (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS While PH before pHTx is frequent, after pHTx the normalization of PH starts immediately in CMP patients but is delayed in CHD patients

Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction in Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D) via Downregulation of Claudin-1

Background: In patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D), the diarrheal mechanisms are largely unknown, and they were examined in this study on colon biopsies. Methods: Electrophysiological measurements were used for monitoring functional changes in the diarrheic colon specimens. In parallel, tight junction protein expression was analyzed by Western blot and confocal laser-scanning microscopy, and signaling pathway analysis was performed using RNA sequencing and bioinformatics. Results: Epithelial resistance was decreased, indicating an epithelial leak flux diarrheal mechanism with a molecular correlate of decreased claudin-1 expression, while induction of active anion secretion and impairment of active sodium absorption via the epithelial sodium channel, ENaC, were not detected. The pathway analysis revealed activation of barrier-affecting cytokines TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-1 beta and IL-4. Conclusions: Barrier dysfunction as a result of epithelial tight junction changes plays a role in IBS-D as a pathomechanism inducing a leak flux type of diarrhea