Successful behaviour relies on the appropriate interplay between action and perception. The well-established dorsal and ventral stream theories depicted two distinct functional pathways for the ...processes of action and perception, respectively. In physiological conditions, the two pathways closely cooperate in order to produce successful adaptive behaviour. As the coupling between perception and action exists, this requires an interface that is responsible for a common reading of the two functions. Several studies have proposed different types of perception and action interfaces, suggesting their role in the creation of the shared interaction channel. In the present review, we describe three possible perception and action interfaces: i) the motor code, including common coding approaches, ii) attention, and iii) object affordance; we highlight their potential neural correlates. From this overview, a recurrent neural substrate that underlies all these interface functions appears to be crucial: the parieto-frontal circuit. This network is involved in the mirror mechanism which underlies the perception and action interfaces identified as common coding and motor code theories. The same network is also involved in the spotlight of attention and in the encoding of potential action towards objects; these are manifested in the perception and action interfaces for common attention and object affordance, respectively. Within this framework, most studies were dedicated to the description of the role of the inferior parietal lobule; growing evidence, however, suggests that the superior parietal lobule also plays a crucial role in the interplay between action and perception. The present review proposes a novel model that is inclusive of the superior parietal regions and their relative contribution to the different action and perception interfaces.
• Background and Aims Specific leaf area (SLA), a key element of the 'worldwide leaf economics spectrum', is the preferred 'soft' plant trait for assessing soil fertility. SLA is a function of leaf ...dry matter content (LDMC) and leaf thickness (LT). The first, LDMC, defines leaf construction costs and can be used instead of SLA. However, LT identifies shade at its lowest extreme and succulence at its highest, and is not related to soil fertility. Why then is SLA more frequently used as a predictor of soil fertility than LDMC? • Methods SLA, LDMC and LT were measured and leaf density (LD) estimated for almost 2000 species, and the capacity of LD to predict LDMC was examined, as was the relative contribution of LDMC and LT to the expression of SLA. Subsequently, the relationships between SLA, LDMC and LT with respect to soil fertility and shade were described. • Key Results Although LD is strongly related to LDMC, and LDMC and LT each contribute equally to the expression of SLA, the exact relationships differ between ecological groupings. LDMC predicts leaf nitrogen content and soil fertility but, because LT primarily varies with light intensity, SLA increases in response to both increased shade and increased fertility. • Conclusions Gradients of soil fertility are frequently also gradients of biomass accumulation with reduced irradiance lower in the canopy. Therefore, SLA, which includes both fertility and shade components, may often discriminate better between communities or treatments than LDMC. However, LDMC should always be the preferred trait for assessing gradients of soil fertility uncoupled from shade. Nevertheless, because leaves multitask, individual leaf traits do not necessarily exhibit exact functional equivalence between species. In consequence, rather than using a single stand-alone predictor, multivariate analyses using several leaf traits is recommended.
Introduction
The presence of anaemia leads to a worse prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF). There are few data on the impact of anaemia on mortality in patients with acute heart failure ...(AHF), and the studies available are mainly retrospective, and include hospitalised patients.
Objective
Evaluate the role of anaemia on 30‐day and 1‐year mortality in patients with AHF attended in hospital emergency departments (HEDs).
Methods
We performed a multicentre, observational study of prospective cohorts of patients with AHF. The study variables were: Anaemia (haemoglobin < 12g/dL in women and <13g/dL in men), mortality at 30 days and at 1 year, risk factors, comorbidity, functional impairment, basal functional grade for dyspnoea, chronic and acute treatment, clinical and analytical data of the episode, and patient destination. Statistical analysis: Bivariate analysis and survival analyses using Cox regression.
Results
A total of 13 454 patients were included, 7662 (56.9%) of whom had anaemia. Those with anaemia were older, had more comorbidity, a worse functional status and New York Heart Association class, greater renal function impairment, and more hyponatraemia. The mortality was higher in patients with anaemia at 30 days and 1 year: 7.5% vs 10.7% (P < .001) and 21.2% vs 31.4% (P < .001), respectively. The crude and adjusted hazard ratios of anaemia for 30‐day mortality were: 1.46 (confidence interval CI 95% 1.30‐1.64); P < .001 and 1.20 (CI 95% 1.05‐1.38); P = .009, respectively, and 1.57 (CI 95% 1.47‐1.68) and 1.30 (CI 95% 1.20‐1.40) for mortality at 1 year. The weight of anaemia on mortality was different in each follow‐up period.
Conclusions
Anaemia is an independent predictor of mortality at 30 days and 1 year in patients with AHF attended in HEDs. It is important to study the aetiology of AHF since adequate treatment would reduce mortality.
Abstract
Microwave heating of over-dense plasmas is routinely achieved in the stellarator TJ-K. In contrast to usually applied heating scenarios in tokamaks or stellarators, an operational regime is ...described where the heating occurs well below the electron cyclotron frequency but still well above the lower hybrid frequency. Microwave energy is deposited at the so-called O-resonance, accompanied by a small population of high-energy electrons with an energy up to 100 keV. These electrons are responsible for a significant toroidal net current and the occurrence of hard x-rays. Requirements for achieving this heating regime are described together with a novel scheme for plasma-electron acceleration.
The use of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in the UK has expanded over the past decade, in part as the result of several UK clinical trials and a recent NHS England Commissioning through ...Evaluation programme. A UK SABR Consortium consensus for normal tissue constraints for SABR was published in 2017, based on the existing literature at the time. The published literature regarding SABR has increased in volume over the past 5 years and multiple UK centres are currently working to develop new SABR services. A review and update of the previous consensus is therefore appropriate and timely. It is hoped that this document will provide a useful resource to facilitate safe and consistent SABR practice.
AIMS: To assess the impacts of Ailanthus altissima and Robinia pseudoacacia on the whole litterfall process and on soil properties of riparian ecosystems of Central Spain by comparing invaded and ...non-invaded forests. METHODS: We selected 3–4 plots of four different types of forests: invaded by A. altissima or R. pseudoacacia, or dominated by the native Fraxinus angustifolia or Populus alba. In each plot we collected the litter monthly over 2 years and separated the litter from different plant organs. We calculated annual inputs of litter, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to soil. We also analyzed soil pH, organic matter (OM), N and P. RESULTS: Most litter fractions from the two invasive trees contained over twice as much N as those from the native P. alba. Although not significantly different, the annual inputs of N in invaded forests were 1.7–2.2 times higher than in native forests. In the invaded forests, extra litterfall peaks were found in summer and/or late-spring (June), corresponding to reproductive and/or leaf litter fractions. The percentage of annual litter represented by these peaks was over twice those in native forests. Soil OM, N and P were higher in invaded than in P. alba forests. In addition, forests invaded by R. pseudoacacia had higher soil OM and N than F. angustifolia forests. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed the capability of A. altissima and R. pseudoacacia to alter soil properties and litterfall dynamics in riparian ecosystems.
ABSTRACT
Aims
To offer a complete outlook in a readable easy way of van Manen's hermeneutic‐phenomenological method to nurses interested in undertaking phenomenological research.
Background
...Phenomenology, as research methodology, involves a certain degree of complexity. It is difficult to identify a single article or author which sets out the didactic guidelines that specifically guide research of this kind. In this context, the theoretical‐practical view of Max van Manen's Phenomenology of Practice may be seen as a rigorous guide and directive on which researchers may find support to undertake phenomenological research.
Design
Discussion paper.
Data sources
This discussion paper is based on our own experiences and supported by literature and theory. Our central sources of data have been the books and writings of Max van Manen and his website “Phenomenologyonline”.
Implications for nursing
The principal methods of the hermeneutic‐phenomenological method are addressed and explained providing an enriching overview of phenomenology of practice. A proposal is made for the way the suggestions made by van Manen might be organized for use with the methods involved in Phenomenology of Practice: Social sciences, philosophical and philological methods. Thereby, nurse researchers interested in conducting phenomenological research may find a global outlook and support to understand and conduct this type of inquiry which draws on the art.
Conclusion
The approach in this article may help nurse scholars and researchers reach an overall, encompassing perspective of the main methods and activities involved in doing phenomenological research. Nurses interested in doing phenomenology of practice are expected to commit with reflection and writing.
Exotic plant invasions can notably alter the nitrogen (N) cycle of ecosystems. However, there is large variation in the magnitude and direction of their impact that remains unexplained. We present a ...structured meta‐analysis of 100 papers, covering 113 invasive plant species with 345 cases of invasion across the globe and reporting impacts on N cycle‐related metrics. We aim to explain heterogeneity of impacts by considering methodological aspects, properties of the invaded site and phylogenetic and functional characteristics of the invaders and the natives. Overall, plant invasions increased N pools and accelerated fluxes, even when excluding N‐fixing invaders. The impact on N pools depended mainly on functional differences and was greater when the invasive plants and the natives differed in N‐fixation ability, plant height and plant/leaf habit. Furthermore, the impact on N fluxes was related mainly to climate, being greater under warm and moist conditions. Our findings show that more functionally distant invaders occurring in mild climates are causing the strongest alterations to the N cycle.
Question: A set of easily‐measured (‘soft’) plant traits has been identified as potentially useful predictors of ecosystem functioning in previous studies. Here we aimed to discover whether the ...screening techniques remain operational in widely contrasted circumstances, to test for the existence of axes of variation in the particular sets of traits, and to test for their links with ‘harder’ traits of proven importance to ecosystem functioning.
Location: central‐western Argentina, central England, northern upland Iran, and north‐eastern Spain.
Recurrent patterns of ecological specialization: Through ordination of a matrix of 640 vascular plant taxa by 12 standardized traits, we detected similar patterns of specialization in the four floras. The first PCA axis was identified as an axis of resource capture, usage and release. PCA axis 2 appeared to be a size‐related axis. Individual PCA for each country showed that the same traits remained valuable as predictors of resource capture and utilization in all of them, despite their major differences in climate, biogeography and land‐use. The results were not significantly driven by particular taxa: the main traits determining PCA axis 1 were very similar in eudicotyledons and monocotyledons and Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Poaceae.
Links between recurrent suites of ‘soft’ traits and ‘hard’ traits: The validity of PCA axis 1 as a key predictor of resource capture and utilization was tested by comparisons between this axis and values of more rigorously established predictors (‘hard’ traits) for the floras of Argentina and England. PCA axis 1 was correlated with variation in relative growth rate, leaf nitrogen content, and litter decomposition rate. It also coincided with palatability to model generalist herbivores. Therefore, location on PCA axis 1 can be linked to major ecosystem processes in those habitats where the plants are dominant.
Conclusion: We confirm the existence at the global scale of a major axis of evolutionary specialization, previously recognised in several local floras. This axis reflects a fundamental trade‐off between rapid acquisition of resources and conservation of resources within well‐protected tissues. These major trends of specialization were maintained across different environmental situations (including differences in the proximate causes of low productivity, i.e. drought or mineral nutrient deficiency). The trends were also consistent across floras and major phylogenetic groups, and were linked with traits directly relevant to ecosystem processes.
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