Established Patterns Research Articles

The content of cytokines in the blood of patients with various stages of breast cancer

Background. Cytokine homeostasis is an important factor characterizing the general condition and adaptive capabilities of the body of patients with malignant neoplasms. However, the role of various growth factors and their significance in the development and enhancement of malignant growth in breast cancer remain poorly understood.
 Aim. To evaluate the levels of cytokines - tumor necrosis factor , interleukins-4, -6, -8 and -10 in the blood serum of patients with different stages of breast cancer in comparison with healthy volunteers.
 Material and methods. The study was conducted in 65 patients aged 25 to 67 years (mean age 44.5 [40.056.5] years). Two groups were distinguished: the first with stage 12, the second with stage 34 of breast cancer. The comparison group consisted of 15 apparently healthy women without cancer, aged 29 to 66 years (mean age 51.0 [39.061.0] years). Blood levels of tumor necrosis factor , interleukins-4, -6, -8 and -10 were studied by enzyme immunoassay. The obtained data were processed using the methods of variation statistics, the Statistica 10.0 software package. The significance of differences was assessed by calculating the median and interquartile interval, analysis of variance was performed using the KruskalWallis H-test, and Dan's Q-test was used for multiple comparisons. The critical significance level p for statistical tests was taken equal to 0.05.
 Results. In the group of patients with stage 12 breast cancer, an increase in the blood levels of all studied cytokines was revealed in comparison with the group of healthy women: interleukin-6 (p=0.00719), interleukin-8 (p=0.00259), tumor necrosis factor (p=0.00014), interleukin-4 (p1=0.0133), interleukin-10 (p1 0.00001). In the group of patients with stage 34 breast cancer, an increase in blood levels was characteristic of all studied cytokines: interleukin-8 (p=0.00009), tumor necrosis factor (p=0.000004), interleukin-4 (p 0.00001), interleukin-10 (p 0.00001), except for interleukin-6 (p=0.15608). The established patterns in changes in the content of cytokines in the blood of patients with breast cancer at different stages of development can serve as the basis for developing approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
 Conclusion. In patients with breast cancer, the levels of tumor necrosis factor , interleukins-4, -6, -8, -10 (p 0.05) are higher than in healthy women.

Climate Change and Substance-Use Behaviors: A Risk-Pathways Framework

Climate change is undermining the mental and physical health of global populations, but the question of how it is affecting substance-use behaviors has not been systematically examined. In this narrative synthesis, we find that climate change could increase harmful substance use worldwide through at least five pathways: psychosocial stress arising from the destabilization of social, environmental, economic, and geopolitical support systems; increased rates of mental disorders; increased physical-health burden; incremental harmful changes to established behavior patterns; and worry about the dangers of unchecked climate change. These pathways could operate independently, additively, interactively, and cumulatively to increase substance-use vulnerability. Young people face disproportionate risks because of their high vulnerability to mental-health problems and substance-use disorders and greater number of life years ahead in which to be exposed to current and worsening climate change. We suggest that systems thinking and developmental life-course approaches provide practical frameworks for conceptualizing this relationship. Further conceptual, methodological, and empirical work is urgently needed to evaluate the nature and scope of this burden so that effective adaptive and preventive action can be taken.

Law and custom: the issue of correlation and interaction

The article is devoted to the scientific problem of the relationship and interaction of law and custom, which are important regulators of social relations. The main approaches to understanding the concept of law are highlighted. Emphasis is placed on the pluralism of law understanding and the diversity of phenomena, as outlined by the term law. The identification of law with the will of the state is called into question. The concept of custom and its types are analyzed. Legal customs constitute the content of customary law as a phenomenon of social reality. The network of legally relevant customs is closely interwoven with a complex of customs without legal relevance, since each such custom can acquire the mentioned relevance, as well as lose it depending on changing historical conditions.
 Legal custom is characterized as a link connecting the phenomena of law and custom. The impossibility of an unambiguous definition of the concept of legal custom due to the absence of a unified concept of law in jurisprudence is explained. At the same time, the definition of legal custom in the most general sense is proposed as a general rule of conduct established in practice and corresponding to law (or a set of such rules), which has actual legal validity and public recognition. The correlation between legal custom and other customs of society (religious, ethical, household, etc.) is researched. Legal customs are customs that regulate the most important social relations.
 The influence of custom on law is clarified. Customs and customary law formed an important basis for the first codifications. In the future, legal customs were the first to fill the regulatory niche of new legal relations that the legislation did not have time to regulate. Adopting a new law or other normative legal act, the public authorities of even modern states usually try to establish such regulation of legal relations that would correspond to the existing practice at that time, except for cases when it is harmful or inappropriate. The impact of law on custom is analyzed, because the state is able to influence the evolution of established patterns of behavior in society through the use of other legal means. Changes in legislation that do not correspond to the customs of society may be ineffective or even lead to social resistance. Innovations of the legislator, which do not correspond to customs, can gain success and general recognition, provided that they are in harmony with the needs of society.

The Single-Cell Pathology Landscape of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a heterogeneous disease with established patterns of recurrent molecular and genetic features. However, we have limited understanding of the cellular composition of DLBCL tumors and the underlying biology of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here we used imaging mass cytometry to simultaneously quantify 2 sets of 34 protein markers across serial sections of tumor tissues. Altogether, 57 unique markers identifying major cell lineages (CD3, CD20, PDPN, CD68, etc.), immune function (IDO, PD1, Granzyme B, etc.) and tumor phenotypes (IRF4, BCL6, p53, etc.) were quantified at single-cell resolution across 545 tumor cores from 328 primary DLBCL tumors. Single-cell clustering and cell community analysis identified 27 distinct cell types and 19 cell communities with 5 overarching patterns of tumor composition and structure (Fig. 1A). "Cold" microenvironments, tumors depleted of infiltrating immune and stromal cells, were the most frequent and accounted for 35.1% (n=115) of the imaged tumors. "Cytotoxic" TMEs (20.7%, n=68) were significantly enriched for CD8 T cells expressing granzyme B and LAG3, as well as CD163+ M2-like macrophages expressing IDO and S100A9. "Stromal" tumors (21.3%, n=70) were enriched for PDPN-positive stroma and M1-like macrophages. The "CD206" TMEs (8.2%, n=27) were enriched for CD206+ M2-like macrophages and Tregs. The "T cell" TMEs (14.6%, n=48) were depleted of macrophages and significantly enriched for CD4 T cells and Tregs. Separately, we also found that 98% (213/217) of cases with replicate tumor cores did not have statistically meaningful differences in tumor composition between cores (chi-squared: p-value >0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis (Fig. 1B) found the TME clusters to be significantly associated with both overall survival (OS; log-rank p < 0.001) and progression-free survival (PFS; log-rank p < 0.005). Notably, the cytotoxic TMEs were found to manifest the most unfavorable clinical outcomes (OS; HR = 2.69; 95% CI: 1.26-5.35; p-value < 0.001), whereas the cold tumors featured a modest trend towards inferior survival (OS; HR=1.5; 95% CI: 0.76-3.01; p-value <0.25). The remaining TME clusters were found to have comparably superior outcomes. Importantly, after correcting for cell of origin (COO) and IPI score, cytotoxic TMEs maintained significant association with inferior OS (HR = 1.78; 95% CI: 1.06-2.98; p-value < 0.05) and PFS (HR=1.85; 95% CI: 1.18-2.90, p-value < 0.01). Furthermore, cytotoxic TMEs were found to be significantly enriched in patients with stage III & IV disease (p-adj <0.001; 76% vs 36%-50% in other TMEs). We developed machine learning frameworks to reproduce the TME classifications with a significantly reduced feature set. Random forest classifiers achieved an overall multiclass classification accuracy of 84% (individual classes 74%-90%) with features from 7 biomarkers. We evaluated 23 phenotypic markers of the malignant B-cell populations for relationships with the TME. Malignant B cells in the cytotoxic TMEs had significantly elevated MHC-I, PD-L1, and vimentin expression (p-adj <0.01) and were enriched with ABC-like DLBCLs (50% vs. 27% in other TMEs; p-adj <0.05). Cold TMEs had significantly elevated BCL2 and Ki67 proliferative index, and lower MHC-I expression. Stroma TMEs were enriched with GCB-like DLBCLs (75.0% vs 53.3% in other TMEs; p-adj <0.01). Consistent with this, we found the BCL2-MYC 'double-hit' signature and the 'EZB-MYC+' LymphGen genetic group to be significantly enriched in cold TMEs (p-adj <0.001), with 68.2% of EZB-MYC+ belonging to the cold cluster. The MCD LymphGen class was also significantly associated with TME compositions (Fisher's test: p-value <0.01); however, it was predominately split between cold (50.0%) and cytotoxic (36.4%) TMEs. There were no MCD cases presenting the 'Stroma' or 'T cell' TME. In summary, we present the first comprehensive assessment of the molecular and cellular landscape of DLBCL by highly multiplexed imaging. Collectively, these results suggest the cold and cytotoxic TMEs may represent a dichotomy of 2 divergent paths to aggressive disease, either extreme immune dysfunction (cytotoxic) or evasion (cold). Identifying TME compositions in patients will improve patient stratification and may provide helpful context for the milieu of immune engaging therapies currently being evaluated for the treatment of DLBCL. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

The effects of dispersal, herbivory, and competition on plant community assembly.

Dispersal is a key process in community assembly but is often considered separately from downstream assembly processes (e.g., competition, herbivory). However, dispersal varies by species and can interact with other assembly processes through establishment as species enter communities. Here, we sought to distinguish the role of dispersal in community assembly and its interaction with two biotic assembly processes: competition and herbivory. We used a tallgrass prairie restoration experiment that manipulated the competitive and herbivore environments while allowing for natural dispersal and establishment from a diverse regional species pool into areas of low diversity. Dispersal, competition, and herbivory all influenced local communities. By tracking the spread of four target species across the plots, we found interspecific and intraspecific differences in establishment patterns, with herbivores influencing the number of individuals present and the distances species moved. At the community level, only dispersal and competition significantly influenced alpha diversity, but all three processes additively influenced community composition. There was also evidence of herbivore-competition and herbivore-colonization trade-offs in our experiment. Some species that could tolerate herbivory were less likely to establish in competitive environments, while others that could tolerate herbivory were more likely to disperse greater distances. More work is needed to understand the contexts under which dispersal variation affects community assembly and its synergy with other processes.

Total Phosphorus and Nitrogen Dynamics and Influencing Factors in Dongting Lake Using Landsat Data

Total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) reflect the state of eutrophication. However, traditional point-based water quality monitoring methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, and insufficient to estimate and assess water quality at a large scale. In this paper, we constructed machine learning models for TP and TN inversion using measured data and satellite imagery band reflectance, and verified it by in situ data. Atmospheric correction was performed on the Landsat Top of Atmosphere (TOP) data by removing the effect of the adjacency effect and correcting differences between Landsat sensors. Then, using the established model, the TP and TN patterns in Dongting Lake with a spatial resolution of 30 m from 1996 to 2021 were derived for the first time. The annual and monthly spatio-temporal variation characteristics of TP and TN in Dongting Lake were investigated in details, and the influences of hydrometeorological elements on water quality variations were analyzed. The results show that the established empirical model can accurately estimate TP with coefficient (R2) ≥ 0.70, root mean square error (RMSE) ≤ 0.057 mg/L, mean relative error (MRE) ≤ 0.23 and TN with R2 ≥ 0.73, RMSE ≤ 0.48 mg/L and MRE ≤ 0.20. From 1996 to 2021, TP in Dongting Lake showed a downward trend and TN showed an upward trend, while the summer value was much higher than the other seasons. Furthermore, the influencing factors on TP and TN variations were investigated and discussed. Between 1996 and 2003, the main contributors to the change of water quality in Dongting Lake were external inputs such as water level and flow. The significant changes in water quantity and sediment characteristics following the operation of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in 2003 also had an impact on the water quality in Dongting Lake.

Substantial regional climate change expected following cessation of CO2 emissions

The zero emissions commitment (ZEC) is the expected temperature change following the cessation of anthropogenic emissions of climate altering gases and aerosols. Recent model intercomparison work has suggested that global average ZEC for CO2 is close to zero. However there has thus far been no effort to explore how temperature is expected to change at spatial scales smaller than the global average. Here we analyze the output of nine full complexity Earth System Models which carried out standardized ZEC experiments to quantify the ZEC from CO2. The models suggest that substantial temperature change following cessation of emissions of CO2 can be expected at large and regional spatial scales. Large scale patterns of change closely follow long established patterns seen during modern climate change, with higher variability and more change as one approaches the polar regions, and with more change over land than ocean. The sign of temperature change (warming or cooling) varies by model and climatic zone. At the regional scale patterns of change are far more complex and show little consistency between different models. Analysis of model output suggest that for most models these changes far exceed pre-industrial internal variability, suggesting either higher climate variability, continuing changes to climate dynamics or both. Overall substantial regional changes in climate are expected following cessation of CO2 emissions but the pattern, magnitude and sign of these changes remains highly uncertain.

Scientific Laboratories of the Institute of Pediatrics: Achievements and Prospects

The review is devoted to the 100-year history of the Institute of Pediatrics, mainly there are analyzed the activities of scientific laboratories and departments, the peculiarities of their reorganization in various historical periods, the contribution of scientists to the development of domestic pediatric science and established patterns essential for the formation of the national system of child health care. The scientific achievements of the scientists of the Institute of Pediatrics were established to be noted by the Grants Committee under the President of the Russian Federation. On a competitive basis, the Institute of Pediatrics of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences is recognized as a leading scientific school, and its director, Academician M.Ya. Studenikin, as a the leader of the pediatric scientific school. Currently, the Institute of Pediatrics is the largest pediatric institution of the National Medical Research Center for Children’s Health of the Ministry of Health of Russia, has significant scientific potential, is able to ensure the children’s health care and create new generations of pediatricians on a modern scientific basis.

Relevance as the Moving Ground of Semiosis

All levels of semiosis, from the materiality of signs to their contents and the contexts of their application, are structured by a selectivity in human experience and action that foregrounds only a fraction of the situation here and now. Before Sperber and Wilson, concepts of “relevance” were proposed in both semiotics and phenomenology to analyze this selectivity. Building critically on Alfred Schutz’s phenomenology, I suggest that a productive way to capture the fundamental role of relevance in processes of meaning-making is to see relevance as the outcome of an interplay between two antagonistic tendencies. On the one hand, socially stabilized and individually sedimented “types” guide our experience and action along established patterns. On the other hand, we are actively open to new and unexpected aspects; we are ready to deviate from types and to change typical patterns. Only both tendencies taken together account for our semiotic behavior in context. Spatial metaphors such as “ground” illuminate only a part of this interplay. Due to the double movement in what becomes relevant to us, the typical ground on which we produce and interpret signs is constantly being shifted and re-grounded, which keeps driving on an endless process of semiosis.

Laticifer growth pattern is guided by cytoskeleton organization.

Laticifers are secretory structures that produce latex, forming a specialized defense system against herbivory. Studies using anatomical approaches to investigate laticifer growth patterns have described their origin; however, their mode of growth, i.e., whether growth is intrusive or diffuse, remains unclear. Studies investigating how cytoskeleton filaments may influence laticifer shape establishment and growth patterns are lacking. In this study, we combined microtubule immunostaining and developmental anatomy to investigate the growth patterns in different types of laticifers. Standard anatomical methods were used to study laticifer development. Microtubules were labelled through immunolocalization of α-tubulin in three types of laticifers from three different plant species: nonanastomosing (Urvillea ulmacea), anastomosing unbranched with partial degradation of terminal cell walls (Ipomoea nil), and anastomosing branched laticifers with early and complete degradation of terminal cell walls (Asclepias curassavica). In both nonanastomosing and anastomosing laticifers, as well as in differentiating meristematic cells, parenchyma cells and idioblasts, microtubules were perpendicularly aligned to the cell growth axis. The analyses of laticifer microtubule orientation revealed an arrangement that corresponds to those cells that grow diffusely within the plant body. Nonanastomosing and anastomosing laticifers, branched or not, have a pattern which indicates diffuse growth. This innovative study on secretory structures represents a major advance in the knowledge of laticifers and their growth mode.

Intersectional Immunity? Examining How Race/Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation Combine to Shape Influenza Vaccination Among US Adults

Influenza vaccination is a critical preventive healthcare behavior designed to prevent spread of seasonal flu. This paper contributes to existing scholarship by applying an intersectional perspective to examine how influenza vaccination differs across specific intersections of racial/ethnic and sexual identity. Drawing on aggregated state-level data from Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) from 2011 to 2020, I examine how flu vaccination differs across 18 racial/ethnic-by-sexual orientation groups (N = 1,986,432). Findings from descriptive analyses and logistic regression modeling demonstrate three key findings. First, it corroborates previous studies of vaccination, finding lower rates of flu vaccination among black adults relative to whites; gays/lesbians vaccinate at higher rates than heterosexuals and bisexuals, with bisexuals reporting lower vaccination relative to both heterosexuals and gays/lesbians. Second, it demonstrates how sexual orientation complicates established patterns between race/ethnicity and vaccination (e.g., influenza vaccination is more racially stratified among heterosexuals, with patterns more variable among gays/lesbians) and how race/ethnicity complicates previous patterns of vaccination by sexual orientation (e.g., Asian bisexuals vaccinate more than both heterosexuals). Third, findings pinpoint identities (e.g., black heterosexuals relative to their white peers and white bisexuals relative to their gay/lesbian peers) most in need of influenza vaccination outreach efforts. Implications for findings suggest that heterosexuals, especially black, may be less likely to vaccinate against influenza thus may need more encouragement from clinicians to vaccinate. Additionally, influenza vaccination should be free for all persons to lessen the barrier of access for this preventative healthcare.

Variations of Stable Isotopes in Daily Precipitation in a Monsoon Region

The stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in precipitation provide a useful reference for the study of hydrological processes, but concerns have been raised regarding the established patterns in their variations in a monsoon climate zone. In this study, stable isotopes (δ18O and δ2H) of 539 daily precipitation samples from seven hydrometeorological stations in the Beijing area were used to investigate short-term isotopic variations and the controlling factors at a region with a monsoon climate. The δ18O in the precipitation increases from the northwest to the south, which is controlled by the monsoon from the south and continental moisture from the northwest. Consistently, both the high δ18O values and low deuterium excess values from May to September reveal the impact of the monsoon. The amount effect is significant during the monsoon season. In contrast, the T effect is significant, with a gradient of 0.4‰ per °C during the non-monsoon season. A Rayleigh distillation model indicates that the moisture source and residual vapor fraction are the two most important factors in controlling the δ18O patterns in precipitation in a monsoon region, independent of temperature. The result of this study is helpful for the understanding of the regional atmospheric water cycle.

Constitutional Reform by Legal Transplantation: The United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020.

This article develops the comparative law framework on legal transplantation to theorise the impact of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA) on the UK constitution across three registers of analysis-the territorial, the material and the conceptual. It arrives at three conclusions. First, in relation to the territorial constitution, this article argues that the UKIMA introduces something transformative: the concept of an internal market as a shared regulatory space that cuts across the respective competences of the UK and devolved legislatures. Secondly, the legal transplant framework points to the introduction of a powerful commitment to the principles of a liberal market economy as the basis of the UK's material constitution. Finally, regarding the conceptual constitution, this article concludes that the UKIMA effects a qualitative change to established patterns of judicial review through its co-opting of courts as agents to secure the foundations of the newly recast material constitution.

Canopy gaps facilitate upslope shifts in montane conifers but not in temperate deciduous trees in the Northeastern United States

AbstractMany montane tree species are expected to migrate upslope as climate warms, but it is not clear if forest canopy gaps, which can facilitate tree seedling recruitment, serve as an important mechanism driving tree species range shifts. Patterns of tree seedling establishment can inform us about early stages of tree species migrations and are critical to examine in the context of global climate change.We contrasted elevational distributions of tree seedlings both within and outside of forest canopy gaps with the distributions of conspecific adults and saplings across the deciduous‐coniferous ecotone on ten mountains in four states of the Northeastern United States. We tested if seedling distributions of four dominant tree species (Abies balsamea,Picea rubens,Acer saccharumandFagus grandifolia) were shifted upslope of conspecific adult and sapling distributions. We also examined if this shift was facilitated by canopy gaps and what environmental drivers affected species distributions.There was limited seedling recruitment of dominant tree species at the temperate‐coniferous ecotone, which we attributed to (i) an observed downslope shift of seedling distributions of the low‐elevation deciduous species (Acer saccharum,Fagus grandifolia) and (ii) an upslope shift in seedling distributions of the high‐elevation conifers (Abies balsamea,Picea rubens). The upslope shift of conifer seedlings contrasts with our previous research at these sites which observed downslope shifts of sapling distributions inPicea rubens, suggesting that seedlings may be responding to more recent climate warming. Canopy gaps in high‐elevation conifer forests facilitated these upslope shifts by promoting conifer seedling recruitment. However, gaps at lower elevations did not play a significant role in seedling recruitment or the observed downslope shifts of the dominant deciduous species. Climate was the dominant predictor of adult tree distributions whereas both climate and soil were important predictors of seedling distributions.Synthesis.Our study illustrates that tree seedlings have the potential for monitoring the early stages of tree species migrations, and particularly so in canopy gaps in high‐elevation conifer forests. Further, we stress that species range shifts are sensitive to local scale heterogeneity in light availability (i.e. canopy gaps) and other non‐climatic factors.

How the Past Shapes the Future and What to Do About It: A Discussion at CI 2021 Virtual With Panelists: Teresa Caraway, Ph.D., C.C.C.-S.L.P.; Cliff Megerian, M.D.; Debara Tucci, M.D., M.S., M.B.A.; Peter Thomas, J.D.; Jason Wigand, Au.D.

This report summarizes the highlights of a lively discussion between leaders in the cochlear implant (CI) field who also bring significant leadership experience at the practice and health system levels, as well as policy and research perspectives. The discussion revealed several areas in which established patterns of practice should be reconsidered to facilitate wider acceptance of the CI as part of an integrated continuum of hearing healthcare. The importance of continued innovation to advance outcomes, lower cost, and increase access was emphasized. Trends in healthcare funding, which increasingly reward quality at lower cost, will also challenge longstanding assumptions that have influenced program design. Proactive efforts that pursue consistent value in the episode of surgical care while establishing innovative delivery models for audiological and rehabilitation services are the best hope for a future of equitable access and expanding impact.

Підприємницький пілар системи охорони здоров’я: передумови рефомування та розвиток

Introduction. In the conditions of COVID-dependent socio-economic space, martial law, energy and economic crisis threats, it is important to support and ensure resistance to challenges, search for new opportunities for business initiatives, in particular for the health care system of Ukraine. Problem Statement. In the process of reforming the health care system of Ukraine, in addition to changes in the eco-environment of medical organizations, the medical sector has faced a number of crises which are the trigger for the implementation of a radically new approach to conducting business. The use of an entrepreneurial pillar will lay the foundation for the implementation and management of strategic changes in the medical sector. The purpose of the article is to determine the prerequisites for reforming the health care system of Ukraine and the inertial direction of its development in modern economic conditions. Materials and methods. In the process of writing the article, methods of general scientific, empirical and theoretical knowledge were used. They found their place in considering the historical stage of the health care system, providing comparative characteristics, the analysis of current eco-environment situation and so on. Results. The article considers the goals of the health care system and its relevance at the macro, meso- and micro levels, archaic formation and historical formation of the preconditions for the formation of the modern health care system of Ukraine, as well as prospects for its development. An analysis of the world health care systems, comparative characteristics, opportunities and threats of their use. Emphasis is placed on current trends and expertly predicted changes in the living environment of society, its service sector and producers, which require special attention in the areas of nature protection, life and health of the population of each country. The existing pillars and the mechanism of leverage control to influence the blocks of internal goals of the organization, within the implementation of the external goal of the world approved by the WHO, and the block of consumer needs are emphasized. The importance of further direction of reform and ways of flexible response in the conditions of existential challenges of the ecological environment is substantiated. Conclusions. Healthcare facilities in Ukraine need to introduce an established pattern - organizational and management mechanism - for the efficient use of financial resources and strategic development.

Iklan Aesthetics in Niger: Identity and Adornment from Servility to Self-agency

<i>Iklan</i> Aesthetics in Niger: Identity and Adornment from Servility to Self-agency

Patterns in climate and seedling establishment at a dry tropical treeline

In some internal valleys of the northern Andes, precipitation at treeline elevation is seasonal, with one or two dry periods that could exert a strong control on tree seedling survival. However, little is known about (1) the severity of the dry periods, due to a lack of climate data, or (2) the effect of drought on tree seedling demographic dynamics and how this is modulated by local plant interactions in these tropical-alpine ecosystems. We studied annual precipitation variation and seedling demography and ecophysiology in relation to microclimate and neighboring plants in a dry treeline ecotone at 3100 m a.s.l in the Venezuelan Andes. We selected seedlings of the dominant tree species Cybianthus marginatus and Clusia multiflora at three sites, each with three adjacent 10 × 10-m plots within the forest, forest border, and páramo. For both species, seedling density was zero in the páramo and did not differ between border and forest. Growth rates were low for both species, but higher for Cybianthus in the border than in the forest. Survival rates were high in both environments. Low assimilation and transpiration rates were found in both species regardless of the environment. The spatial association of seedlings with moisture-regulating elements such as mosses, ferns and basal rosettes may indicate a benefit of better hydric conditions in their neighborhood. Our study shows a strong limitation for tree establishment in the páramo, but high rates of survival at the edge of the forest. This suggests a scenario of slow potential forest expansion at this tropical treeline, tree cover advancing in a closed front by the successive formation of forest-edge vegetation allowing tree seedling establishment outside of the forest.

Supply chain network structure and firm's R&D investments: empirical evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the R&D investment (RDI) of manufacturing firms from the perspective of supply chain network, especially the effect of firms' supply chain network structures (network power and network cohesion) on its RDI, and further to explore the contingency conditions of this effect within the context of Chinese manufacturing supply chains.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collect a large sample of Chinese manufacturing firms over the period 2014–2019 and construct a large-scale supply chain network, and finally obtain 2,390 firms from 20,483 observations. Ordinary least squares regression was adopted to analyse how supply chain network structures affect RDI in manufacturing firms.FindingsIt is surprising that firm's supply chain network structures have a negative effect on RDI. In addition, knowledge and technology intensity (KTI) positively moderate the relationship between network cohesion and RDI.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the innovation stream from the perspectives of supply chain network, and provides the empirical findings that the negative role of a firm's supply chain network structure on its RDI for the first time. The rationale for these negative effects is straightforward according to the social capital theory that manufacturing firms with a high level of social capital that are possibly to accept established patterns of thinking and behaviour, causing them to decrease the enthusiasm of RDI.

Encroachment order and spatial patterns of broad-leaf tree species in the naturalization of a Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation

The aim of this study was to understand the encroachment order, spatial patterns, interspecific associations, and species diversity of a Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation and to provide context for how to improve the spatial structure of C. lanceolata plantations. We investigated a Guanshan (C. lanceolata) Plantation in the Jiangxi Province. The C. lanceolata plantation was divided into three developmental stages (early, middle and late), with a space-for-time substitution method, according to their diameter at breast height (DBH) measurements. Across these plots, we analyzed encroachment patterns of the species and their interspecific associations with C. lanceolata according to the coordinates of trees in the plot, as well as the variation of species diversity after the encroachment of broad-leaf tree species. Our results show that the encroachment of broad-leaf trees into the C. lanceolata plantation followed a clear successional sequence of tree community assembly: intolerant tree species encroachment first, such as Alniphyllum fortunei and Liquidambar formosana, encroached; neutral tree species then encroachment, such as Daphniphyllum oldhamii and Schima superba, and shade-tolerant tree species encroachment last, such as Castanopsis eyrei and Castanopsis tibetana. Further, the spatial pattern of species establishment differed based upon when they encroached on the plantation. Intolerant and neutral tree species of early and middle developmental stages were distributed randomly. However, intolerant and some shade-tolerant tree species of the late developmental stage were aggregated on a scale of about 0–3 m. In addition, the interspecific associations between broad-leaf species encroachment into the C. lanceolata plantation were mainly negative, among which the most competitive ones were A. fortunei, D. oldhamii and Machilus thunbergii. However, with the development of the community, some species with negative correlations changed to having no correlation with C. lanceolata. We found that species diversity in the plantation gradually increased by nearly-five times from the early to the late developmental stage. Based on our collective results, we conclude that the encroachment and assembly of tree species show obvious order and pattern, which has a strong competitive effect with C. lanceolata in the naturalized plantation. Additionally, the community biodiversity has been significantly improved. Therefore, this successional process is important in the transformation of the C lanceolata plantation and different tree species should be replanted according to C. lanceolata plantation developmental stages with priority given to competitive species, such as A. fortunei, D. oldhamii, and M. thunbergii, so as to promote the C. lanceolata plantation change to C. lanceolata and broadleaf mixed forest.