Cognitive functioning in at-risk mental states for psychosis and 2-year clinical outcome

Cognitive impairment is prevalent in at-risk mental states (ARMS) for psychosis.

The Importance of Place Names in the Search for Ecosystem-Like Concepts in Indigenous Societies: An Example from the Bolivian Andes

This paper aims to deepen the search for ecosystem-like concepts in indigenous societies by highlighting the importance of place names used by Quechua indigenous farmers from the central Bolivian Andes. Villagers from two communities in the Tunari Mountain Range were asked to list, describe, map and categorize the places they knew on their community’s territory. Results show that place names capture spatially explicit units which integrate biotic and abiotic nature and humans, and that there is an emphasis on topographic terms, highlighting the importance of geodiversity. Farmers’ perspectives differ from the classical view of ecosystems because they ‘humanize’ places, considering them as living beings with agency. Consequently, they do not make a distinction between natural and cultural heritage. Their perspective of the environment is that of a personalized, dynamic relationship with the elements of the natural world that are perceived as living entities. A practical implication of the findings for sustainable development is that since places names make the links between people and the elements of the landscape, toponymy is a tool for ecosystem management rooted in indigenous knowledge. Because place names refer to holistic units linked with people’s experience and spatially explicit, they can be used as an entry point to implement an intercultural dialogue for more sustainable land management.

Content comparison of health status measures for obesity based on the international classification of functioning, disability and health

OBJECTIVE: To compare the content covered by twelve obesity-specific health status measures using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). DESIGN: Obesity-specific health status measures were identified and then linked to the ICF separately by two trained health professionals according to standardized guidelines. The degree of agreement between health professionals was calculated by means of the kappa (kappa) statistic. Bootstrapped confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. The obesity-specific health-status measures were compared on the component and category level of the ICF. MEASUREMENTS: welve condition-specific health-status measures were identified and included in this study, namely the obesity-related problem scale, the obesity eating problems scale, the obesity-related coping and obesity-related distress questionnaire, the impact of weight on quality of life questionnaire (short version), the health-related quality of life questionnaire, the obesity adjustment survey (short form), the short specific quality of life scale, the obesity-related well-being questionnaire, the bariatric analysis and reporting outcome system, the bariatric quality of life index, the obesity and weight loss quality of life questionnaire and the weight-related symptom measure. RESULTS: In the 280 items of the eight measures, a total of 413 concepts were identified and linked to the 87 different ICF categories. The measures varied strongly in the number of concepts contained and the number of ICF categories used to map these concepts. Items on body functions varied form 12% in the obesity-related problem scale to 95% in the weight-related symptom measure. The estimated kappa coefficients ranged between 0.79 (CI: 0.72, 0.86) at the component ICFs level and 0.97 (CI: 0.93, 1.0) at the third ICF's level. CONCLUSION: The ICF proved highly useful for the content comparison of obesity-specific health-status measures. The results may provide clinicians and researchers with new insights when selecting health-status measures for clinical studies in obesity.

Effects of Silvicultural Practices on Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in a Nitrogen Saturated Central Appalachian (USA) Hardwood Forest Ecosystem

Silvicultural treatments represent disturbances to forest ecosystems often resulting in transient increases in net nitrification and leaching of nitrate and base cations from the soil. Response of soil carbon (C) is more complex, decreasing from enhanced soil respiration and increasing from enhanced postharvest inputs of detritus. Because nitrogen (N) saturation can have similar effects on cation mobility, timber harvesting in N-saturated forests may contribute to a decline in both soil C and base cation fertility, decreasing tree growth. Although studies have addressed effects of either forest harvesting or N saturation separately, few data exist on their combined effects. Our study examined the responses of soil C and N to several commercially used silvicultural treatments within the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, USA, a site with N-saturated soils. Soil analyses included soil organic matter (SOM), C, N, C/N ratios, pH, and net nitrification. We hypothesized the following gradient of disturbance intensity among silvicultural practices (from most to least intense): even-age with intensive harvesting (EA-I), even-age with extensive harvesting, even-age with commercial harvesting, diameter limit, and single-tree harvesting (ST). We anticipated that effects on soil C and N would be greatest for EA-I and least with ST. Tree species exhibited a response to the gradient of disturbance intensity, with early successional species more predominant in high-intensity treatments and late successional species more predominant in low-intensity treatments. Results for soil variables, however, generally did not support our predictions, with few significant differences among treatments and between treatments and their paired controls for any of the measured soil variables. Multiple regression indicated that the best predictors for net nitrification among samples were SOM (positive relationship) and pH (negative relationship). This finding confirms the challenge of sustainable management of N-saturated forests.