TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Changes in the pattern of suicides and suicide attempt admissions in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic

The consequences of the current COVID-19 pandemic for mental health remain unclear, especially regarding the effects on suicidal behaviors. To assess changes in the pattern of suicide attempt (SA) admissions and completed suicides (CS) in association with the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of a longitudinal study, SA admissions and CS are systematically documented and analyzed in all psychiatric hospitals in Frankfurt/Main (765.000 inhabitants). Number, sociodemographic factors, diagnoses and methods of SA and CS were compared between the periods of March–December 2019 and March–December 2020. The number of CS did not change, while the number of SA significantly decreased. Age, sex, occupational status, and psychiatric diagnoses did not change in SA, whereas the percentage of patients living alone while attempting suicide increased. The rate and number of intoxications as a SA method increased and more people attempted suicide in their own home, which was not observed in CS. Such a shift from public places to home is supported by the weekday of SA, as the rate of SA on weekends was significantly lower during the pandemic, likely because of lockdown measures. Only admissions to psychiatric hospitals were recorded, but not to other institutions. As it seems unlikely that the number of SA decreased while the number of CS remained unchanged, it is conceivable that the number of unreported SA cases increased during the pandemic. Our data suggest that a higher number of SA remained unnoticed during the pandemic because of their location and the use of methods associated with lower lethality

Epidemiology of surgery associated acute kidney injury (EPIS-AKI): a prospective international observational multi-center clinical study

Purpose: The incidence, patient features, risk factors and outcomes of surgery-associated postoperative acute kidney injury (PO-AKI) across different countries and health care systems is unclear. Methods: We conducted an international prospective, observational, multi-center study in 30 countries in patients undergoing major surgery (> 2-h duration and postoperative intensive care unit (ICU) or high dependency unit admission). The primary endpoint was the occurrence of PO-AKI within 72 h of surgery defined by the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Secondary endpoints included PO-AKI severity and duration, use of renal replacement therapy (RRT), mortality, and ICU and hospital length of stay. Results: We studied 10,568 patients and 1945 (18.4%) developed PO-AKI (1236 (63.5%) KDIGO stage 1500 (25.7%) KDIGO stage 2209 (10.7%) KDIGO stage 3). In 33.8% PO-AKI was persistent, and 170/1945 (8.7%) of patients with PO-AKI received RRT in the ICU. Patients with PO-AKI had greater ICU (6.3% vs. 0.7%) and hospital (8.6% vs. 1.4%) mortality, and longer ICU (median 2 (Q1-Q3, 1-3) days vs. 3 (Q1-Q3, 1-6) days) and hospital length of stay (median 14 (Q1-Q3, 9-24) days vs. 10 (Q1-Q3, 7-17) days). Risk factors for PO-AKI included older age, comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease), type, duration and urgency of surgery as well as intraoperative vasopressors, and aminoglycosides administration. Conclusion: In a comprehensive multinational study, approximately one in five patients develop PO-AKI after major surgery. Increasing severity of PO-AKI is associated with a progressive increase in adverse outcomes. Our findings indicate that PO-AKI represents a significant burden for health care worldwide

Adult height and the risk of cause-specific death and vascular morbidity in 1 million people: individual participant meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The extent to which adult height, a biomarker of the interplay of genetic endowment and early-life experiences, is related to risk of chronic diseases in adulthood is uncertain. METHODS: We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) for height, assessed in increments of 6.5 cm, using individual-participant data on 174374 deaths or major non-fatal vascular outcomes recorded among 1085949 people in 121 prospective studies. RESULTS: For people born between 1900 and 1960, mean adult height increased 0.5-1 cm with each successive decade of birth. After adjustment for age, sex, smoking and year of birth, HRs per 6.5 cm greater height were 0.97 (95% confidence interval: 0.96-0.99) for death from any cause, 0.94 (0.93-0.96) for death from vascular causes, 1.04 (1.03-1.06) for death from cancer and 0.92 (0.90-0.94) for death from other causes. Height was negatively associated with death from coronary disease, stroke subtypes, heart failure, stomach and oral cancers, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mental disorders, liver disease and external causes. In contrast, height was positively associated with death from ruptured aortic aneurysm, pulmonary embolism, melanoma and cancers of the pancreas, endocrine and nervous systems, ovary, breast, prostate, colorectum, blood and lung. HRs per 6.5 cm greater height ranged from 1.26 (1.12-1.42) for risk of melanoma death to 0.84 (0.80-0.89) for risk of death from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. HRs were not appreciably altered after further adjustment for adiposity, blood pressure, lipids, inflammation biomarkers, diabetes mellitus, alcohol consumption or socio-economic indicators. CONCLUSION: Adult height has directionally opposing relationships with risk of death from several different major causes of chronic diseases

Model-Independent Observation of Exotic Contributions to B0→J/ψK+π−B^0\to J/\psi K^+\pi^- Decays

International audienceAn angular analysis of B0→J/ψK+π- decays is performed, using proton-proton collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3  fb-1 collected with the LHCb detector. The m(K+π-) spectrum is divided into fine bins. In each m(K+π-) bin, the hypothesis that the three-dimensional angular distribution can be described by structures induced only by K* resonances is examined, making minimal assumptions about the K+π- system. The data reject the K*-only hypothesis with a large significance, implying the observation of exotic contributions in a model-independent fashion. Inspection of the m(J/ψπ-) vs m(K+π-) plane suggests structures near m(J/ψπ-)=4200 and 4600 MeV

Study of Υ\Upsilon production in ppPb collisions at sNN=8.16\sqrt{s_{NN}}=8.16 TeV

International audienceThe production of ϒ(nS) mesons (n = 1, 2, 3) in pPb and Pbp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy per nucleon pair $\sqrt{s_{\mathrm{NN}}}=8.16$ TeV is measured by the LHCb experiment, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 31.8 nb$^{−1}$. The ϒ(nS) mesons are reconstructed through their decays into two opposite-sign muons. The measurements comprise the differential production cross-sections of the ϒ(1S) and ϒ(2S) states, their forward-to-backward ratios and nuclear modification factors. The measurements are performed as a function of the transverse momentum p$_{T}$ and rapidity in the nucleon-nucleon centre-of-mass frame y$^{*}$ of the ϒ(nS) states, in the kinematic range p$_{T}$ < 25 GeV/c and 1.5 < y$^{*}$ < 4.0 (−5.0 < y$^{*}$ < −2.5) for pPb (Pbp) collisions. In addition, production cross-sections for ϒ(3S) are measured integrated over phase space and the production ratios between all three ϒ(nS) states are determined. Suppression for bottomonium in proton-lead collisions is observed, which is particularly visible in the ratios. The results are compared to theoretical models

Measurement of ψ\psi(2SS) production cross-sections in proton-proton collisions at s\sqrt{s} = 7 and 13 TeV

International audienceThe cross-sections of $\psi(2S)$ meson production in proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}=13~\mathrm{TeV}$ are measured with a data sample collected by the LHCb detector corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $275~p\mathrm{b}^{-1}$. The production cross-sections for prompt $\psi(2S)$ mesons and those for $\psi(2S)$ mesons from $b$-hadron decays ($\psi{(2S)}\mathrm{-from-}b$) are determined as functions of the transverse momentum, $p_{\mathrm{T}}$, and the rapidity, $y$, of the $\psi(2S)$ meson in the kinematic range $2<p_{\mathrm{T}}<20~\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $2.0<y<4.5$. The production cross-sections integrated over this kinematic region are \begin{equation*} \begin{split} \sigma(\mbox{prompt }\psi(2S),13~\mathrm{TeV}) &= {1.430 \pm 0.005(\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.099 (\mathrm{syst})\mu\mathrm{b}},\\ \sigma(\psi(2S)\mathrm{-from-}b,13~\mathrm{TeV})&={0.426 \pm 0.002(\mathrm{stat}) \pm0.030 (\mathrm{syst})\mu\mathrm{b}}. \end{split} \end{equation*} A new measurement of $\psi(2S)$ production cross-sections in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7~\mathrm{TeV}$ is also performed using data collected in 2011, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of $614~{p\mathrm{b}^{-1}}$.The integrated production cross-sections in the kinematic range $3.5<p_{\mathrm{T}}<14~\mathrm{GeV}/c$ and $2.0<y<4.5$ are \begin{equation*} \begin{split} \sigma(\mbox{prompt }\psi(2S),7~\mathrm{TeV}) &={0.471 \pm0.001 (\mathrm{stat}) \pm 0.025 (\mathrm{syst})\mu\mathrm{b}},\\ \sigma(\psi(2S)\mathrm{-from-}b,7~\mathrm{TeV}) &={0.126\pm0.001 (\mathrm{stat}) \pm0.008 (\mathrm{syst})\mu\mathrm{b}}. \end{split} \end{equation*} All results show reasonable agreement with theoretical calculations