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Tree size shapes forest carbon dynamics and determines how trees interact with their environment, including a changing climate. Here, we conduct the first global analysis of among-site differences in how aboveground biomass stocks and fluxes are distributed with tree size. We analyzed repeat tree censuses from 25 large-scale (4-52 ha) forest plots spanning a broad climatic range over five continents to characterize how aboveground biomass, woody productivity, and woody mortality vary with tree diameter. We examined how the median, dispersion, and skewness of these size-related distributions vary with mean annual temperature and precipitation. In warmer forests, aboveground biomass, woody productivity, and woody mortality were more broadly distributed with respect to tree size. In warmer and wetter forests, aboveground biomass and woody productivity were more right skewed, with a long tail towards large trees. Small trees (1-10 cm diameter) contributed more to productivity and mortality than to biomass, highlighting the importance of including these trees in analyses of forest dynamics. Our findings provide an improved characterization of climate-driven forest differences in the size structure of aboveground biomass and dynamics of that biomass, as well as refined benchmarks for capturing climate influences in vegetation demographic models.

Introduction: Periprocedural stroke represents a rare but serious complication of cardiac catheterization. Pooled data from randomized trials evaluating the risk of stroke following cardiac catheterization via transradial versus transfemoral access showed no difference. On the other hand, a significant difference in stroke rates favoring transradial access was found in a recent meta-analysis of observational studies. Our aim was to determine if there is a difference in stroke risk after transradial versus transfemoral catheterization within a contemporary real-world registry. Methods: Data from 14,139 patients included in a single-center prospective registry between 2009 and 2016 were used to determine the odds of periprocedural transient ischemic attack (TIA) and stroke for radial versus femoral catheterization via multivariate logistic regression with Firth's correction. Results: A total of 10,931 patients underwent transradial and 3,208 underwent transfemoral catheterization. Periprocedural TIA/stroke occurred in 41 (0.29%) patients. Age was the only significant predictor of TIA/stroke in multivariate analysis, with each additional year representing an odds ratio (OR) = 1.09 (CI 1.05-1.13, p < 0.000). The choice of accession site had no impact on the risk of periprocedural TIA/stroke (OR = 0.81; CI 0.38-1.72, p = 0.577). Conclusion: Observational data from a large prospective registry indicate that accession site has no influence on the risk of periprocedural TIA/stroke after cardiac catheterization. Keywords: Cardiac catheterization; Femoral access; Radial access; Stroke; Transient ischemic attack. Úvod: Periprocedurální cévní mozková příhoda představuje vzácnou, ale závažnou komplikaci srdeční katetrizace. Shromážděné údaje z randomizovaných studií hodnotících riziko cévní mozkové příhody po srdeční katetrizaci transradiálním versus transfemorálním přístupem neukázaly žádný rozdíl. Na druhé straně byl v nedávné metaanalýze observačních studií zjištěn významný rozdíl v četnosti cévních mozkových příhod ve prospěch transradiálního přístupu. Naším cílem bylo zjistit, zda existuje rozdíl v riziku cévní mozkové příhody po transradiální a transfemorální katetrizaci v rámci současného registru v reálném světě. Metodika: Data od 14 139 pacientů zařazených do jednocentrového prospektivního registru v letech 2009 až 2016 byla použita ke stanovení pravděpodobnosti periprocedurální tranzitorní ischemické ataky (TIA) a cévní mozkové příhody pro radiální versus femorální katetrizaci prostřednictvím multivariační logistické regrese s Firthovou korekcí. Výsledky: Celkem 10 931 pacientů podstoupilo transradiální a 3 208 transfemorální katetrizaci. Periprocedurální TIA/cévní mozková příhoda se vyskytla u 41 (0,29 %) pacientů. Věk byl jediným významným prediktorem TIA/mrtvice v multivariační analýze, přičemž každý další rok představoval poměr šancí (OR) = 1,09 (CI 1,05-1,13, p < 0,000). Volba místa nástupu neměla žádný vliv na riziko periprocedurální TIA/mrtvice (OR = 0,81; CI 0,38-1,72, p = 0,577). Závěr: Observační údaje z velkého prospektivního registru naznačují, že místo přistoupení nemá žádný vliv na riziko periprocedurální TIA/mrtvice po srdeční katetrizaci.

The study presents a controversy among Czech Catholics, culminating in 1947. It explains the interpersonal and intellectual dynamics of post­-war Catholicism and demonstrates how the so­-called campaign against Catholic writers unfolded the debate on the basic tone of modern Catholicism, i.e. its relationship to the contemporary world, about how believers are to communicate with contemporary society, and about the need to revise this approach. The controversy was led by a reflection on turnovers: integral Catholicism, integral Catholic, religious rightist and leftist. Its main protagonists were Adolf Kajpr SJ, Timotheus Vodicka, and Jindřich Středa (Karel Frantisek Schwarzenberg).

Assemblages of insect herbivores are structured by plant traits such as nutrient content, secondary metabolites, physical traits, and phenology. Many of these traits are phylogenetically conserved, implying a decrease in trait similarity with increasing phylogenetic distance of the host plant taxa. Thus, a metric of phylogenetic distances and relationships can be considered a proxy for phylogenetically conserved plant traits and used to predict variation in herbivorous insect assemblages among co‐occurring plant species.Using a Holarctic dataset of exposed‐feeding and shelter‐building caterpillars, we aimed at showing how phylogenetic relationships among host plants explain compositional changes and characteristics of herbivore assemblages.Our plant–caterpillar network data derived from plot‐based samplings at three different continents included >28,000 individual caterpillar–plant interactions. We tested whether increasing phylogenetic distance of the host plants leads to a decrease in caterpillar assemblage overlap. We further investigated to what degree phylogenetic isolation of a host tree species within the local community explains abundance, density, richness, and mean specialization of its associated caterpillar assemblage.The overlap of caterpillar assemblages decreased with increasing phylogenetic distance among the host tree species. Phylogenetic isolation of a host plant within the local plant community was correlated with lower richness and mean specialization of the associated caterpillar assemblages. Phylogenetic isolation had no effect on caterpillar abundance or density. The effects of plant phylogeny were consistent across exposed‐feeding and shelter‐building caterpillars.Our study reveals that distance metrics obtained from host plant phylogeny are useful predictors to explain compositional turnover among hosts and host‐specific variations in richness and mean specialization of associated insect herbivore assemblages in temperate broadleaf forests. As phylogenetic information of plant communities is becoming increasingly available, further large‐scale studies are needed to investigate to what degree plant phylogeny structures herbivore assemblages in other biomes and ecosystems., Host plant phylogenetic relationships have been shown to affect community composition and interaction networks of associated insect herbivores. Using a cross‐continental dataset, we showed that phylogenetically isolated hosts harbored less diverse and less specialized caterpillar assemblages. Our results suggest that a combination of phylogenetic information and compositional structure of the host plant community provides useful measures to predict the structure of herbivore assemblages among coexisting plant species.

PCI chronických totalnich uzavěrů (CTO) koronarnich tepen je jednou z nejdynamictěji se rozvijejicich oblasti intervencni kardiologie. Samotne tema s sebou nese některe kontroverze. Jedna se o velmi komplexni výkony, ktere na jedne straně mohou řadě pacientů výrazně zlepsit kvalitu života, na druhe jsou ale zatiženy vyssim rizikem periproceduralnich komplikaci než běžne non-CTO PCI. Skutecnost, že i v nasich podminkach vznikly na některých pracovistich dedikovane CTO programy s rostoucimi pocty těchto výkonů, ukazuje, že jde o tema aktualni. V tomto přehlednem clanku předkladam zkracenou verzi "state-of-the-art" dokumentu vytvořeneho respektovanými světovými experty na problematiku CTO. Zakladni stavebni kameny uspěsneho a bezpecneho programu CTO PCI jsou tu rozděleny do sedmi obecných principů od indikace, přes planovani výkonů a jejich technických aspektů až po minimalizaci rizika vzniku a připadne řeseni komplikaci.

As the major group of herbivorous insects, moths are highly significant in natural ecosystems. In collaboration with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) multipurpose National Forest Inventory (NFI) survey, this study investigates the species richness, distribution and community composition of Geometrid moths (Lepidoptera) in PNG’s tropical forests and analyses environmental drivers of the geometrid community structure. By providing a baseline assessment of an important order of insects that can serve as an indicator for broader biodiversity, this study informs how biodiversity assessments can be better integrated into the planning of forest conservation initiatives, particularly those related to REDD+ and forest carbon offset developments. The research was conducted over 3 years at 38 NFI clusters throughout six provinces: Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Morobe, Madang and West New Britain and Central Province. Moths were collected from dusk to before midnight (18:00 h to 22:00 h) using a manual light trapping method for four nights per site, with a total of 152 light trap samples. Results included a total of 11,830 specimens from 1,108 morphological species from lowland and montane forests in disturbed (degraded and/or logged) and primary forests. Elevation and forest disturbance are the main variables that influence the distribution of species. Species richness was low in montane undisturbed forests compared with lowland (disturbed and primary) forests and montane disturbed forests. Species similarity between light trap samples tends to decrease as elevation increases. Geometrid moth species were arranged into two main orders of community composition according to the forest types: montane (disturbed and/or primary) forests species and lowland (disturbed and/or primary forest) species as per the samples.

Vertical niche partitioning might be one of the main driving forces explaining the high diversity of forest ecosystems. However, the forest's vertical dimension has received limited investigation, especially in temperate forests. Thus, our knowledge about how communities are vertically structured remains limited for temperate forest ecosystems. In this study, we investigated the vertical structuring of an arboreal caterpillar community in a temperate deciduous forest of eastern North America. Within a 0.2-ha forest stand, all deciduous trees ≥ 5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) were felled and systematically searched for caterpillars. Sampled caterpillars were assigned to a specific stratum (i.e. understory, midstory, or canopy) depending on their vertical position and classified into feeding guild as either exposed feeders or shelter builders (i.e. leaf rollers, leaf tiers, webbers). In total, 3892 caterpillars representing 215 species of butterflies and moths were collected and identified. While stratum had no effect on caterpillar density, feeding guild composition changed significantly with shelter-building caterpillars becoming the dominant guild in the canopy. Species richness and diversity were found to be highest in the understory and midstory and declined strongly in the canopy. Family and species composition changed significantly among the strata; understory and canopy showed the lowest similarity. Food web analyses further revealed an increasing network specialization towards the canopy, caused by an increase in specialization of the caterpillar community. In summary, our study revealed a pronounced stratification of a temperate forest caterpillar community, unveiling a distinctly different assemblage of caterpillars dwelling in the canopy stratum.

Je popsan připad posttraumatickeho postiženi věncite cevy, ktere vyustilo v srdecni infarkt (IM). Padesatiletý muž prodělal před třemi lety tupe trauma hrudniku, IM nebyl poznan, protože bolest na hrudi byla přicitana (a maskovana) poraněnim žeber. Koronarografie byla indikovana pro nahodný nalez patologickeho EKG při preventivni prohlidce.

Cil: PCI chronických totalnich uzavěrů (CTO) koronarnich tepen představuje v poslednich letech rychle se rozvijejici odvětvi intervencni kardiologie. V předkladanem clanku prezentujeme nase dvoulete zkusenosti s rozvojem dedikovaneho CTO programu, zaměřujeme se na stratifikaci obtižnosti CTO dle skorovaciho systemu J-CTO a ulohu proktora při „learning-curve“. Soubor a metodika: Soubor tvoři konsekutivni pacienti, kteři na nasem pracovisti podstoupili PCI pro CTO v obdobi od 8/2016 do 10/2018. Sledovali jsme zakladni charakteristiky pacientů a technicke aspekty výkonu, odhadovanou obtižnost dle J-CTO skore, zastoupeni různých rekanalizacnich technik, zda byl ci nebyl u výkonu přitomný proktor a výskyt komplikaci. Výkony s J-CTO skore ≥ 2 jsme v souladu s autory skorovaciho systemu oznacili jako obtižne. Výsledky: Celkova uspěsnost CTO PCI ve sledovanem obdobi cinila 84,4 %. Průměrne hodnoty skiaskopickeho casu na proceduru byly 30 : 17 minut, davky zařeni 2 660 mGy a spotřeby kontrastni latky 262 ml. U uspěsných výkonů byla finalni strategii, ktera vedla k rekanalizaci CTO, antegradni eskalace vodiců v 65,6 %, retrogradni technika „dissection-reentry“ v 11,1 %, retrogradni eskalace vodiců v 6,7 %. Jedenkrat jsme byli uspěsni technikou antegradni „dissection-reentry“. Zatimco uspěsnost CTO PCI u hodnot J-CTO skore 0–1 dosahovala 94,9 %, u obtižných připadu (J-CTO ≥ 2) jsme byli uspěsni pouze v 76,5 % pokusů. Proktorovane výkony měly proti neproktorovaným vyssi průměrne J-CTO skore (2,3 vs. 1,7), vyssi zastoupeni obtižných nalezů s J-CTO ≥ 2 (66,7 % vs. 52,4 %), vyssi zastoupeni retrogradnich výkonů (55,6 % vs. 19,1 %) a dosahovali jsme při nich vyssi uspěsnosti (92,6 % vs. 81,0 %). Klinicky zavažne komplikace se vyskytly u 4,5 %, nedoslo k žadnemu periproceduralnimu umrti ani k tamponadě. Zavěr: Předkladaný soubor prezentuje prvni dva roky „learning curve“ CTO PCI a ukazuje, že při respektovani urcitých pravidel je možne si techniky CTO PCI osvojit a zasadit je do běžneho provozu katetrizacniho salu coby ucinnou a bezpecnou metodu lecby pacientů se specifickým a nikoli vzacným typem koronarniho postiženi.

Climbing plants form a substantial component of tropical forest diversity. Climbers are a diverse group comprising various ecological strategies dependent on tree support and are affected by biotic and abiotic forest conditions. In a lowland primary tropical rainforest in Papua New Guinea, we studied the distribution of root climbers from genus Piper in relation to topography (slope, convexity, altitude) and properties of vegetation and of individual host trees (basal area of trees, and host tree size, abundance and species identity). In total, 1,058 Piper climber individuals belonging to 8 species occupied 13.7% of tree trunks with a diameter at breast height (DBH) > 1 cm. All Piper species generally avoided similar habitat conditions – higher altitude, steeper slopes, more closed canopy layer and bigger total basal area of host vegetation. The preferences of Piper climbers for some tree species are primarily determined by properties of host trees, mainly their DBH. Therefore, the probability of Piper presence on a tree increased with individual host tree DBH. Piper species were more frequently found on rare than common tree species. However, this relationship might be also explained by their affinity for higher tree DBH. Our findings point to non-random association between climbers and their host trees, in a complicated interplay with local environmental conditions. These interactions have very probably consequences for forest vegetation dynamics and maintenance of diversity.

The ant mosaic is a concept of the non-random spatial distribution of individual ant species in trees built upon the assumption of interspecific behavioural associations. However, colony identity and environmental variance may also play a role in species distribution. Here we assess the presence of ant mosaics in a primary forest ecosystem and whether they are structured by species' aggressive behaviours or by habitat filtering. We sampled arboreal ants from vertically stratified baits exposed in 225 canopy trees in a 9-ha plot of primary lowland forest in Papua New Guinea, the largest forest area surveyed to detect ant mosaics. We performed behavioural tests on conspecific ants from adjacent trees to determine the territories of individual colonies. We explored the environmental effects on the ant communities using information on the plot vegetation structure and topography. Furthermore, we created a novel statistical method to test for the community non-random spatial structure across the plot via spatial randomisation of individual colony territories. Finally, we linked spatial segregation among the four most common species to experimentally assessed rates of interspecies aggression. The ant communities comprised 57 species of highly variable abundance and vertical stratification. Ant community composition was spatially dependent, but it was not affected by tree species composition or canopy connectivity. Only local elevation had a significant but rather small effect. Individual colony territories ranged from one tree to 0.7 ha. Species were significantly over-dispersed, with their territory overlap significantly reduced. The level of aggression between pairs of the four most common species was positively correlated with their spatial segregation. Our study demonstrates the presence of ant mosaics in tropical pristine forest, which are maintained by interspecific aggression rather than habitat filtering, with vegetation structure having a rather small and indirect effect, probably linked to microclimate variability. publishedVersion

Tropical forests are notable for their high species diversity, even on small spatial scales, and right‐skewed species and size abundance distributions. The role of individual species as drivers of the spatial organization of diversity in these forests has been explained by several hypotheses and processes, for example, stochastic dilution, negative density dependence, or gap dynamics. These processes leave a signature in spatial distribution of small trees, particularly in the vicinity of large trees, likely having stronger effects on their neighbors. We are exploring species diversity patterns within the framework of various diversity‐generating hypotheses using individual species–area relationships. We used the data from three tropical forest plots (Wanang—Papua New Guinea, Barro Colorado Island—Panama, and Sinharaja—Sri Lanka) and included also the saplings (DBH ≥ 1 cm). Resulting cross‐size patterns of species richness and evenness reflect the dynamics of saplings affected by the distribution of large trees. When all individuals with DBH ≥1 cm are included, ~50% of all tree species from the 25‐ or 50‐ha plot can be found within 35 m radius of an individual tree. For all trees, 72%–78% of species were identified as species richness accumulators, having more species present in their surroundings than expected by null models. This pattern was driven by small trees as the analysis of DBH >10 cm trees showed much lower proportion of accumulators, 14%–65% of species identified as richness repellers and had low richness of surrounding small trees. Only 11%–26% of species had lower species evenness than was expected by null models. High proportions of species richness accumulators were probably due to gap dynamics and support Janzen–Connell hypothesis driven by competition or top‐down control by pathogens and herbivores. Observed species diversity patterns show the importance of including small tree size classes in analyses of the spatial organization of diversity., Common spatial patterns of trees were observed in three tropical forest plots. Small trees were associated with increased diversity, while large trees were more often associated with low diversity. Gap dynamics and negative density‐dependent processes were expected to form the diversity patterns.

This paper deals with the relationship between grain yield and grain losses during harvest. Measurements were carried out on a combine harvester with axial harvesting device allowing various adjustments to combine harvester parameter settings, such as rotor speed, gap between separator and rotor, fan speed, holes of the upper and lower sieves. Values of harvest losses in combine harvester with custom settings for the given crops were compared with values of losses obtained by a harvester with manufacturer’s recommended settings. This paper observes the losses in grains of spring barley and winter wheat crops. All the measurements made showed lower grain losses when the combine harvester settings were customized. In general, custom settings provided quantitative losses lower by 0.198% than settings recommended by manufacturer.

According to the Decree on the Sacraments of the Council of Trent, one of the effects of frequent receiving of the Holy Communion is perpetua sanitas mentis, perpetual sanity of mind. The article demonstrates that these words echo a text, which the authors of the decree associated with Saint Cyprian of Carthage († 258), whereas its real author was the monk Ernaldus Bonaevallis († after 1159). It demonstrates that the theme of mental recovery through communion with Christ was present in the theology of the Church Fathers and in the liturgical prayer of the Church, and that the theologians and preachers of the twelfth century, including Ernaldus himself, turned their attention to it. It presents the way in which representatives of High Scholasticism Alexander of Hales († 1245) and Thomas Aquinas († 1274) reflected on sanitas or, more specifically, sanatio mentis. Their theology, and especially the theology of Doctor Angelicus, formed the thinking of the participants of the Council of Trent. It can thus serve as a key for understanding their words.

Cil: Klinicky nejdele dostupným biodegradabilnim stentem (bioresorbable vascular scaffold, BVS) je Absorb BVS™ (Abbott Vascular, Santa Monica, CA, USA). Přes slibne výsledky se objevila i uskali spojena s lecbou timto typem koronarnich implantatů. Nejprve registry, posleze i některe metaanalýzy a na podzim 2016 i třilete výsledky randomizovane studie ABSORB II poukazaly na zvýsene riziko trombozy stentu/BVS oproti DES nejnovějsi generace. Cilem nasi prace je zhodnoceni klinických výsledků realne populace pacientů s implantovaným BVS s důrazem na výskyt jiste/pravděpodobne trombozy BVS. Soubor a metodika: Soubor tvoři konsekutivni pacienti, kterým byl na nasem pracovisti implantovan Absorb BVS v obdobi 9/2013 až 12/2015. Ve spolupraci s UZIS CR jsme ke 30. 4. 2017 retrospektivně hodnotili výskyt kompozitnich endpointů zaměřených na vlastni BVS („device-oriented composite endopoint“, DOCE) a na pacienta („patient-oriented composite endpoint“, POCE) se zvlastnim zaměřenim na trombozu BVS. Výsledky: Ve sledovanem obdobi jsme při 196 PCI implantovali 178 pacientům celkem 210 Absorb BVS. Median sledovani cinil 772 dnů. Indikaci implantace byl ve 47 % připadů akutni koronarni syndrom, ve zbylých připadech stabilni formy ICHS. Výskyt DOCE po 1 roce byl 4,5 %, odhad výskytu po dvou letech na zakladě Kaplan-Meierovy analýzy cini 6,8 %. Umrti z kardiovaskularnich přicin postihlo v prvnim roce 3,9 % pacientů. Setkali jsme se s celkem 6 připady jiste a 2 připady pravděpodobne trombozy BVS. Výskyt jiste/pravděpodobne trombozy BVS tak dosahoval 2,8 % do 30 dnů a 3,9 % do 1 roku. Zavěr: Předkladame data z použiti Absorb BVS v realne klinicke praxi jednoho pracovistě se zaměřenim na trombozu BVS. Nase výsledky potvrzuji obavu z vyssiho výskytu teto komplikace, ktera se podle dosavadnich dat jevi být hlavnim a nejzavažnějsim problemem lecby ICHS biodegradabilnimi stenty tohoto typu.

Context Swidden agriculture (a type of small-scale agriculture) is crucial to the livelihood and food security of millions of people in tropical regions. Social-ecological changes, including population growth and anti-swidden policies, are putting pressure on the existing swidden system to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable way. Enhancing soil fertility is a promising option for increasing crop yields and extending lifetimes of agricultural fields, thereby reducing the demand to clear new land. However, there is limited information on how swidden farmers can best maintain soil fertility. Objective Our aim was to investigate whether using locally available fertilisers can increase soil quality, crop yields and lifetimes of swidden fields. Methods We established experimental gardens on the land of swidden farmers in the Lowlands of Papua New Guinea, where the majority of the population depends on swidden agriculture. Gardens were set up on two types of sites; five were established on new sites that had just been prepared for gardening by cutting and burning vegetation after a fallow period, whereas another five were prepared on garden sites that were just being fallowed. We applied three treatments; i) compost consisting of decaying banana peels, ii) chicken manure, and iii) NPK fertiliser to different plots within each garden; and tracked soil quality and yields of sweet potato over 12 months (three post-intervention cropping periods). We also conducted in-depth interviews with local farmers to understand their perspective on soil management. Results and conclusions Few farmers typically used compost, chicken manure or NPK fertiliser. Many were keen to try these fertilisers, provided they had more information. The performance of treatments depended on the type of garden with chicken manure increasing tuber yields in fallowed gardens but not new gardens, and banana peel compost also increasing tuber yields in fallowed gardens although not significantly. NPK fertiliser was the best option because it was the only fertiliser that increased yields in both new and fallowed gardens, produced tubers of similar quality and taste to control plots and was financially profitable. Treatments affected yield through increasing available nitrogen and reducing soil moisture. We also found that farmers fallow their gardens despite adequate sweet potato yields, so whether using fertilisers can enhance the lifetime of fields will depend on additional factors such as labour input needed. Significance Our work shows how swidden agriculture can potentially be adapted so that it continues to be a sustainable way of farming and living.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated whether rivaroxaban alone or in combination with aspirin would be more effective than aspirin alone for secondary cardiovascular prevention.METHODS: In this double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 27,395 participants with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease to receive rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin (100 mg once daily), rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily), or aspirin (100 mg once daily). The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction. The study was stopped for superiority of the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group after a mean follow-up of 23 months.RESULTS: The primary outcome occurred in fewer patients in the rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin group than in the aspirin-alone group (379 patients [4.1%] vs. 496 patients [5.4%]; hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66 to 0.86; PCONCLUSIONS: Among patients with stable atherosclerotic vascular disease, those assigned to rivaroxaban (2.5 mg twice daily) plus aspirin had better cardiovascular outcomes and more major bleeding events than those assigned to aspirin alone. Rivaroxaban (5 mg twice daily) alone did not result in better cardiovascular outcomes than aspirin alone and resulted in more major bleeding events. (Funded by Bayer; COMPASS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01776424 .).

(Abstract) Plant litter decomposition is one of the most important processes in terrestrial ecosystems, as it is a key factor in nutrient cycling. Decomposition rates depend on environmental factors, but also plant traits, as these determine the character of detritus. We measured litter decomposition rate for 57 common tree species displaying a variety of functional traits within four sites in primary and four sites in secondary tropical forest in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. The phylogenetic relationships between these trees were also estimated using molecular data. The leaves collected from different tree species were dried for two days, placed into detritus bags and exposed to ambient conditions for two months. Nitrogen, carbon and ash content were assessed as quantitative traits and used together with a phylogenetic variance-covariance matrix as predictors of decomposition rate. The analysis of the tree species composition from 96 quadrats located along a successional gradient of swidden agriculture enabled us to determine successional preferences for individual species. Nitrogen content was the only functional trait measured to be significantly positively correlated with decomposition rate. Controlling for plant phylogeny did not influence our conclusions, but including phylogeny demonstrated that the mainly early successional family Euphorbiaceae is characterized by a particularly high decomposition rate. The acquisitive traits (high nitrogen content and low wood density) correlated with rapid decomposition were characteristic for early successional species. Decomposition rate thus decreased from early successional to primary forest species. However, the decomposition of leaves from the same species was significantly faster in primary than in secondary forest stands, very probably because the high humidity of primary forest environments keeps the decomposing material wetter. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Summary. Public transport priority is still a big issue in many cities. Priority measures for street public transport are the key tool to increasing the attractiveness and reliability of public transport systems. This paper contributes to this problem by introducing a detailed analysis of street public transport vehicle ride on urban roads. The ride will be divided into segments with a definition of the potential reason for possible delays. This view is the first step for a future objective decision-making tool for assessing the quality of operation of public transport on a defined urban road section.

The extreme biological diversity of Oceanian archipelagos has long stimulated research in ecology and evolution. However, parasitic protists in this geographic area remained neglected and no molecular analyses have been carried out to understand the evolutionary patterns and relationships with their hosts. Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a biodiversity hotspot containing over 5% of the world's biodiversity in less than 0.5% of the total land area. In the current work, we examined insect heteropteran hosts collected in PNG for the presence of trypanosomatid parasites. The diversity of insect flagellates was analysed, to our knowledge for the first time, east of Wallace's Line, one of the most distinct biogeographic boundaries of the world. Out of 907 investigated specimens from 138 species and 23 families of the true bugs collected in eight localities, 135 (15%) were infected by at least one trypanosomatid species. High species diversity of captured hosts correlated with high diversity of detected trypanosomatids. Of 46 trypanosomatid Typing Units documented in PNG, only eight were known from other geographic locations, while 38 TUs (~83%) have not been previously encountered. The widespread trypanosomatid TUs were found in both widely distributed and endemic/sub-endemic insects. Approximately one-third of the endemic trypanosomatid TUs were found in widely distributed hosts, while the remaining species were confined to endemic and sub-endemic insects. The TUs from PNG form clades with conspicuous host-parasite coevolutionary patterns, as well as those with a remarkable lack of this trait. In addition, our analysis revealed new members of the subfamilies Leishmaniinae and Strigomonadinae, potentially representing new genera of trypanosomatids.

Vertical stratification of avian communities has been studied in both temperate and tropical forests; however, the majority of studies used ground-based methods. In this study we used ground-to-canopy mist nets to collect detailed data on vertical bird distribution in primary rain forest in Wanang Conservation Area in Papua New Guinea (Madang Province). In total 850 birds from 86 species were caught. Bird abundance was highest in the canopy followed by the understory and lowest in the midstory. Overall bird diversity increased towards the canopy zone. Insectivorous birds represented the most abundant and species-rich trophic guild and their abundances decreased from the ground to canopy. The highest diversity of frugivorous and omnivorous birds was confined to higher vertical strata. Insectivorous birds did not show any pattern of diversity along the vertical gradient. Further, insectivores preferred strata with thick vegetation, while abundance and diversity of frugivores increased with decreasing foliage density. Our ground-to-canopy (0–27 m) mist netting, when compared to standard ground mist netting (0–3 m), greatly improved bird diversity assessment and revealed interesting patterns of avian community stratification along vertical forest strata.

Biodegradabilni stenty (bioresorbable vascular scaffolds, BVS) představuji posledni významnou změnu přistupu v oblasti perkutannich koronarnich intervenci. Idea poskytnout cevě pouze přechodnou oporu je lakava zejmena proto, že může pomoci překonat některe ze slabin soucasných metalických lekových stentů. Cilem tohoto přehledneho clanku je zasadit problematiku BVS do kontextu rychle se rozvijejiciho pole koronarnich intervenci, poukazat na potencialni výhody a uskali teto technologie a shrnout dostupna preklinicka i klinicka data. Přestože v různých fazich vývoje je mnoho různých konceptů BVS, bližsi pozornost je věnovana pouze těm, ktere již ziskaly schvaleni ke klinickemu uživani. Diskutovany jsou technologicke aspekty, technika implantace a data z preklinických studii, klinických randomizovaných studii, registrů a metaanalýz.

Questions How do spatial patterns of tree distribution and species co-occurrence differ between primary and secondary tropical rain forests? What signatures of ecological processes might be discerned by comparing the spatial patterns of trees between primary and secondary forest plots? Location Tropical rain forest vegetation, lowlands of Papua New Guinea. Methods All trees over 5 cm DBH were surveyed in two non-replicated 1-ha plots situated in primary and secondary forest. Grid location, DBH, height and species identity were recorded for all surveyed trees. Analysis of the spatial pattern and the autocorrelation of tree sizes and identities were used to assess the structure of the forest found within the plots. Functions combining Ripley's K and the individual species–area relationship were applied to study the spatial distribution of trees and species diversity. Results The spatial distribution of common species, and all stems collectively, was aggregated in the secondary forest plot but not different from random in the primary forest plot. Diameter and height were also strongly spatially auto-correlated in the secondary forest plot but not in the primary forest plot. Conspecific aggregations were more common in the secondary forest plot. Finally, the secondary forest plot was characterized by the presence of diversity-repelling species and lower diversity than the primary forest plot, where diversity-accumulating species were present. Conclusions We attribute the weaker autocorrelation of tree size in the primary forest to the development of size hierarchies throughout the course of stand aging. The conspecific aggregation and low local diversity within the secondary forest plot are likely caused by dispersal limitation during a brief period of establishment after disturbance. The higher local diversity of the primary forest can be explained by the reduction of species aggregation through increased mortality of conspecifics. This is caused by strong intraspecific competition, supporting the spatial segregation hypothesis (interspecific spatial segregation).