Climate change effects on phytoplankton depend on cell size and food web structure

We investigated the effects of warming on a natural phytoplankton community from the Baltic Sea, based on six mesocosm experiments conducted 2005–2009. We focused on differences in the dynamics of three phytoplankton size groups which are grazed to a variable extent by different zooplankton groups. While small-sized algae were mostly grazer-controlled, light and nutrient availability largely determined the growth of medium- and large-sized algae. Thus, the latter groups dominated at increased light levels. Warming increased mesozooplankton grazing on medium-sized algae, reducing their biomass. The biomass of small-sized algae was not affected by temperature, probably due to an interplay between indirect effects spreading through the food web. Thus, under the higher temperature and lower light levels anticipated for the next decades in the southern Baltic Sea, a higher share of smaller phytoplankton is expected. We conclude that considering the size structure of the phytoplankton community strongly improves the reliability of projections of climate change effects

Landscape Architecture at TU Delft 1973-2011: Ter gelegenheid afscheid Prof. Dr. Clemens Steenbergen

Het is haast onmogelijk om de werkzame jaren van Prof. Dr. Clemens Steenbergen hier op de TU Delft in het kort samen te vatten. Dit is een persoonlijk boek van collega's, medewerkers en studenten ter gelegenheid van zijn afscheid op 15. December 2011.UrbanismArchitectur

Post-anaesthesia pulmonary complications after use of muscle relaxants (POPULAR): a multicentre, prospective observational study

Background Results from retrospective studies suggest that use of neuromuscular blocking agents during general anaesthesia might be linked to postoperative pulmonary complications. We therefore aimed to assess whether the use of neuromuscular blocking agents is associated with postoperative pulmonary complications.Methods We did a multicentre, prospective observational cohort study. Patients were recruited from 211 hospitals in 28 European countries. We included patients (aged >= 18 years) who received general anaesthesia for any in-hospital procedure except cardiac surgery. Patient characteristics, surgical and anaesthetic details, and chart review at discharge were prospectively collected over 2 weeks. Additionally, each patient underwent postoperative physical examination within 3 days of surgery to check for adverse pulmonary events. The study outcome was the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications from the end of surgery up to postoperative day 28. Logistic regression analyses were adjusted for surgical factors and patients' preoperative physical status, providing adjusted odds ratios (ORadj) and adjusted absolute risk reduction (ARR(adj)). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials. gov, number NCT01865513.Findings Between June 16, 2014, and April 29, 2015, data from 22 803 patients were collected. The use of neuromuscular blocking agents was associated with an increased incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in patients who had undergone general anaesthesia (1658 [7.6%] of 21 694); ORadj 1.86, 95% CI 1.53-2.26; ARR(adj) -4.4%, 95% CI -5.5 to -3.2). Only 2.3% of high-risk surgical patients and those with adverse respiratory profiles were anaesthetised without neuromuscular blocking agents. The use of neuromuscular monitoring (ORadj 1.31, 95% CI 1.15-1.49; ARR(adj) -2.6%, 95% CI -3.9 to -1.4) and the administration of reversal agents (1.23, 1.07-1.41; -1.9%, -3.2 to -0.7) were not associated with a decreased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Neither the choice of sugammadex instead of neostigmine for reversal (ORadj 1.03, 95% CI 0.85-1 center dot 25; ARR(adj) -0.3%, 95% CI -2.4 to 1.5) nor extubation at a train-of-four ratio of 0.9 or more (1.03, 0.82-1.31; -0.4%, -3.5 to 2.2) was associated with better pulmonary outcomes.Interpretation We showed that the use of neuromuscular blocking drugs in general anaesthesia is associated with an increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications. Anaesthetists must balance the potential benefits of neuromuscular blockade against the increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications