Reinterpreting two regime shifts in North Sea plankton communities through the lens of functional traits

The so-called regime shifts in North Sea plankton communities provide an important historical case study to understand marine regime shifts. Previous studies characterized regime shifts using a variety of community metrics (e.g., indicator species abundances, taxonomic composition and chlorophyll biomass) but left the functional traits of plankton unassessed. Here, we explicitly re-assess the historically recognized North Sea regime shifts through the lens of plankton functional traits to gain a better understanding of these events

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the Toll-like receptor pathway increase susceptibility to infections in severely injured trauma patients

Background: Sepsis and subsequent multiple-organ failure are the predominant causes of late mortality in trauma patients. Susceptibility and response to infection is, in part, heritable. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Toll-like receptor (TLR) and cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14) genes of innate immunity may play a key role. The aim of this study was to assess if SNPs in TLR/CD14 predisposed trauma patients to infection. Methods: A prospective cohort of trauma patients (age 18-80 years; injury severity score [ISS] ≥ 16) admitted to a Level I trauma center between January 2008 and April 2011 was genotyped for SNPs in TLR2 (T-16934A and R753Q), TLR4 (D299G and T399I), TLR9 (T-1486C and T-1237C), and CD14 (C-159T) using high-resolution melting analysis. Association of genotype with prevalence of positive culture findings (gram positive, gram negative, fungi), systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, septic shock, and mortality was tested with χ2and logistic regression analysis. Results: Genotyping was performed for 219 patients, of whom 51% developed positive culture findings in sputum, wounds, blood

The impact of falls in the elderly

The number of falls in the elderly is becoming a major public health problem in our society. In the past decade, life expectancy has increased from 75 years in 1990 to 79 years in 2009 in the US. It has been estimated that the number of persons aged 65 years and older in the US will double by 2050. In 2000, falls accounted for 45% of all injury-related inpatient stays with almost 750,000 hospitalizations. Fractures were the most common primary injury diagnosis, including 314,006 hip fractures. Injury following a fall is associated with a decreased quality of life and poor functional outcome, in severe injuries these effects continue for a prolonged period of time. In 2006, fall-related medical costs in the population aged ≥65 in the US amounted to US$19 billion for non-fatal and US$0.2 billion for fatal injuries. In this article, we provide a literature overview on the impact of falls in the elderly, the demands on healthcare, and the costs for our society

Links between topography, wind, deflation, lakes and dust: The case of the Bodélé Depression, Chad

The Bodélé Depression, Chad is the planet's largest single source of dust. Deflation from the Bodélé could be seen as a simple coincidence of two key prerequisites: strong surface winds and a large source of suitable sediment. But here we hypothesise that long term links between topography, winds, deflation and dust ensure the maintenance of the dust source such that these two apparently coincidental key ingredients are connected by land-atmosphere processes with topography acting as the overall controlling agent. We use a variety of observational and numerical techniques, including a regional climate model, to show that: 1) contemporary deflation from the Bodélé is delineated by topography and a surface wind stress maximum; 2) the Tibesti and Ennedi mountains play a key role in the generation of the erosive winds in the form of the Bodélé Low Level Jet (LLJ); 3) enhanced deflation from a stronger Bodélé LLJ during drier phases, for example, the Last Glacial Maximum, was probably sufficient to create the shallow lake in which diatoms lived during wetter phases, such as the Holocene pluvial. Winds may therefore have helped to create the depression in which erodible diatom material accumulated. Instead of a simple coincidence of nature, dust from the world's largest source may result from the operation of long term processes on paleo timescales which have led to ideal conditions for dust generation in the world's largest dust source. Similar processes plausibly operate in other dust hotspots in topographic depressions

Effectiveness of medication withdrawal in older fallers: Results from the improving medication prescribing to reduce risk of falls (IMPROveFALL) trial

Objectives: to investigate the effect of withdrawal of fall-risk-increasing-drugs (FRIDs) versus 'care as usual' on reducing falls in community-dwelling older fallers. Design: randomised multicentre trial. Participants: six hundred and twelve older adults who visited an Emergency Department (ED) because of a fall. Interventions: withdrawal of FRIDs. Main Outcomes and Measures: primary outcome was time to the first self-reported fall. Secondary outcomes were time to the second self-reported fall and to falls requiring a general practitioner (GP)-consultation or ED-visit. Intention-to-treat (primary) and a per-protocol (secondary) analysis were conducted. The hazard ratios (HRs) for time-to-fall were calculated using a Cox-regression model. Differences in cumulative incidence of falls were analysed using Poisson regression. Results: during 12 months follow-up, 91 (34%) control and 115 (37%) intervention

New insights on the population genetic structure of the great scallop (Pecten maximus) in the English Channel coupling microsatellite data and demogenetic simulations.

International audienceThe great scallop (Pecten maximus) is a commercially important bivalve in Europe, particularly in the English Channel, where fisheries are managed at regional and local scales through the regulation of fishing effort. In the long term, knowledge about larval dispersal and gene flow between populations is essential to ensure proper stock management. Yet, previous population genetic studies have reported contradictory results. In this study, scallop samples collected across the main fishing grounds along the French and English coasts of the English Channel (20 samples with temporal replicates for three sites,n= 1059 individuals), and the population genetic structure was analysed using 13 microsatellite loci. Coupling empirical genetic data with demogenetic modelling based on a biophysical model simulating larval exchanges among scallop beds revealed a subtle genetic differentiation between south-west English populations and the rest of the English Channel, which was consistent with larval dispersal simulations. The present study provides a step forward in the understanding of great scallop population biology in the English Channel, underlining the fact that even in a context of potentially high gene flow and recent divergence times since the end of the last glacial maximum, weak but significant spatial genetic structure can be identified at a regional scale

Circumstances leading to injurious falls in older men and women in the Netherlands

Background Fall-induced injuries in persons aged 65 years and older are a major public health problem. Data regarding circumstances leading to specific injuries, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and hip fractures in older adults are scarce. Objective To investigate the activity distributions leading to indoor and outdoor falls requiring an emergency department (ED) visit, and those resulting in TBIs and hip fractures. Participants 5880 older adults who visited the ED due to a fall. Methods Data is descriptive and stratified by age and gender. Results Two-thirds of all falls occurred indoors. However, there were higher proportions of outdoor falls at ages 65-79 years (48%). Walking up or down stairs (51%) and housekeeping (17%) were the most common indoor activities leading to a TBIs. Walking (42%) and sitting or standing (16%) was the most common indoor activities leading to a hip fracture. The most common outdoor activities were walking (61% for TBIs and 57% for hip fractures) and cycling (10% for TBIs and 24% for hip fractures). Conclusion In the present study we found that the indoor activities distribution leading to TBIs and hip fractures differed. Notably, about half of the traumatic brain injuries and hip fractures in men and women aged 65-79 years occurred outdoors. This study provides new insights into patterns leading to injurious falls by age, gender and injury type, and may guide the targeting of falls prevention at specific activities and risk groups, including highly functional older men and women

Periglacial environments and frozen ground in the central Pyrenean high mountain area: Ground thermal regime and distribution of landforms and processes

Producción CientíficaThe periglacial belt is located in the highest parts of temperate mountains. The balance between mean air and ground temperatures and the presence of water determine the effectiveness of periglacial processes related to permafrost, the active layer or seasonally frozen ground (SFG). This study combines thermal and geomorphological data obtained in four Pyrenean massifs (Infierno‐Argualas, Posets, Maladeta and Monte Perdido) to improve knowledge on the occurrence and distribution of frozen ground. The methodology used is based on the study of landforms as frozen ground indicators, mapping processes, ground temperature analysis, basal temperature of snow, thermal mapping and geomatic surveys on rock glaciers and protalus lobes. In the Pyrenean high mountain areas the lower limit of frozen ground is at ~2,650m a.s.l., possible permafrost appears above 2,650m a.s.l. on north‐ and south‐facing slopes, and probable permafrost is dominant above 2,900m a.s.l. Unfrozen ground with cold‐associated geomorphological processes reach 2,900m a.s.l. and unfrozen and frozen ground distribution points to a patchy pattern throughout the periglacial belt. The most widespread frozen grounds are SFG. The thermal data, mean annual ground temperature, cold season temperatures, bottom temperature snow measurements, freeze/thaw cycles and distribution of landforms permit the establishment of a periglacial land system divided into three main belts: infraperiglacial, middle periglacial and supraperiglacial. The large number of processes and landforms that are involved and their altitudinal and spatial organization make up a complex environment that determines the geoecological dynamics of high mountain areas.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad - Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (projects CGL2015-68144-R / GL2017- 82216-R