Wood allocation trade-offs between fiber wall, fiber lumen, and axial parenchyma drive drought resistance in neotropical trees.

Functional relationships between wood density and measures of xylem hydraulic safety and efficiency are ambiguous, especially in wet tropical forests. In this meta-analysis, we move beyond wood density per se and identify relationships between xylem allocated to fibers, parenchyma, and vessels and measures of hydraulic safety and efficiency. We analyzed published data of xylem traits, hydraulic properties and measures of drought resistance from neotropical tree species retrieved from 346 sources.

Author Correction: Trade-offs in using European forests to meet climate objectives.

In this Letter, in "About 75% of this reduction is expected to come from emission reductions and the remaining 25% from land use, land-use change and forestry", '25%' should read '1%' and '75%' should read '99%'. In the sentence "The carbon-sink-maximizing portfolio has a small negative effect on annual precipitation (-2 mm) and no effect on air temperature (Table 1)" the word 'precipitation' was omitted. Denmark was accidentally deleted during the conversion of Fig.

Trade-offs in using European forests to meet climate objectives.

The Paris Agreement promotes forest management as a pathway towards halting climate warming through the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO) emissions. However, the climate benefits from carbon sequestration through forest management may be reinforced, counteracted or even offset by concurrent management-induced changes in surface albedo, land-surface roughness, emissions of biogenic volatile organic compounds, transpiration and sensible heat flux. Consequently, forest management could offset CO emissions without halting global temperature rise.

Models meet data: Challenges and opportunities in implementing land management in Earth system models.

As the applications of Earth system models (ESMs) move from general climate projections toward questions of mitigation and adaptation, the inclusion of land management practices in these models becomes crucial. We carried out a survey among modeling groups to show an evolution from models able only to deal with land-cover change to more sophisticated approaches that allow also for the partial integration of land management changes. For the longer term a comprehensive land management representation can be anticipated for all major models.

Europe's forest management did not mitigate climate warming.

Afforestation and forest management are considered to be key instruments in mitigating climate change. Here we show that since 1750, in spite of considerable afforestation, wood extraction has led to Europe's forests accumulating a carbon debt of 3.1 petagrams of carbon.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase val158met genotype determines effect of reboxetine on emotional memory in healthy male volunteers.

Background: Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) metabolizes catecholamines in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). A common polymorphism in the COMT gene (COMT val158met) has pleiotropic effects on cognitive and emotional processing. The met allele has been associated with enhanced cognitive processing but impaired emotional processing relative to the val allele.

Alpha 2B adrenoceptor genotype moderates effect of reboxetine on negative emotional memory bias in healthy volunteers.

Evidence suggests that emotional memory plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression/anxiety disorders. Noradrenaline crucially modulates emotional memory. Genetic variants involved in noradrenergic signaling contribute to individual differences in emotional memory and vulnerability to psychopathology.

Influence of COMT val158met and ADRA2B deletion polymorphisms on recollection and familiarity components of human emotional memory.

Emotional enhancement of memory is a widely accepted phenomenon that, in addition to its adaptive role, may play a role in the evolution of psychiatric disorders. Hence a comprehensive understanding of its neurobiological basis is imperative. Whilst the pharmacological and neural mechanisms are well known, the contribution of genetic variation is not.

Does the stress tolerance of mixed grassland communities change in a future climate? A test with heavy metal stress (zinc pollution).

Will species that are sensitive/tolerant to Zn pollution still have the same sensitivity/tolerance in a future climate? To answer this question we analysed the response of constructed grassland communities to five levels of zinc (Zn) supply, ranging from 0 to 354 mg Zn kg(-1) dry soil, under a current climate and a future climate (elevated CO2 and warming). Zn concentrations increased in roots and shoots with Zn addition but this increase did not differ between climates. Light-saturated net CO2 assimilation rate (A(sat)) of the species, on the other hand, responded differently to Zn addition depending on climate.

Epistasis between 5-HTTLPR and ADRA2B polymorphisms influences attentional bias for emotional information in healthy volunteers.

Individual differences in emotional processing are likely to contribute to vulnerability and resilience to emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety. Genetic variation is known to contribute to these differences but they remain incompletely understood. The serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and α2B-adrenergic autoreceptor (ADRA2B) insertion/deletion polymorphisms impact on two separate but interacting monaminergic signalling mechanisms that have been implicated in both emotional processing and emotional disorders.

Deletion variant of alpha2b-adrenergic receptor gene moderates the effect of COMT val(158)met polymorphism on episodic memory performance.

The COMT val(158) variant has been associated with impaired cognitive function compared to the met(158) variant yet gene-gene interactions are not well described. In this study we demonstrate an interaction between this COMT polymorphism and a deletion variant of ADRA2B, the gene encoding the alpha2b-adrenergic receptor on episodic memory performance. Specifically, carriage of the ADRA2B deletion abolished the relative memory impairment in homozygous COMT val(158) carriers compared to met(158) carriers.

Quetiapine treatment and improved cognitive functioning in borderline personality disorder.

Objective: We aimed to assess whether executive functioning improved over time in a sample of borderline personality disorder (BPD) subjects that took part in a quetiapine treatment trial.

Methods: Performance on the following neurocognitive tasks was assessed at enrolment and at the end of the 12 weeks quetiapine treatment: Trail Making Task, Word Fluency Task and Tower of London Task. Forty-one BPD patients were recruited, of whom 32 completed the trial.

Effects of amisulpride on emotional memory using a dual-process model in healthy male volunteers.

Memory dysfunction occurs in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders. Therapeutic psychopharmacological agents may exacerbate such memory impairment. Detailed characterisation of drug-induced memory impairment is therefore important.

Efficacy of quetiapine for impulsivity and affective symptoms in borderline personality disorder.

Data on the efficacy of quetiapine in borderline personality disorder (BPD) are still scarce. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of quetiapine for impulsivity and a broad range of affective symptoms in BPD. In this 12-week open-label study, we included individuals with BPD who presented to psychiatric in- and outpatient services.

Effects of climate warming and species richness on photochemistry of grasslands.

In view of the projected climatic changes and the global decrease in plant species diversity, it is critical to understand the effects of elevated air temperature (T(air)) and species richness (S) on physiological processes in plant communities. Therefore, an experiment of artificially assembled grassland ecosystems, with different S (one, three or nine species), growing in sunlit climate-controlled chambers at ambient T(air) and ambient T(air) + 3 degrees C was established. We investigated whether grassland species would be more affected by midday high-temperature stress during summer in a warmer climate scenario.

Sexually dimorphic changes in the amygdala in relation to delusional beliefs in first episode psychosis.

Background: Few attempts have been made to examine the relationship between amygdala abnormalities and specific symptoms in psychosis. The present study explored the relationship between amygdala morphology and mood congruent and mood incongruent delusional beliefs.

Methods: Amygdala volumes were measured in 43 patients presenting with delusional beliefs in the context of their first episode of psychosis and 43 healthy volunteers matched for age and gender.

[Gilles de la Tourette syndrome mimicking an eating disorder].

Vomiting and retching are behaviours that are part of the clinical manifestation of several disorders. Rarely, vomiting is actually tic and, when not recognized, may mislead physicians and other caregivers to erroneously diagnose a medical or psychiatric disorder without considering a tic-disorder. We report on an 18 year old male patient who demonstrated vomiting as main symptom.

The role of dopamine in attentional and memory biases for emotional information.

Objective: Cognitive models suggest that biased processing of emotional information may play a role in the genesis and maintenance of psychotic symptoms. The role of dopamine and dopamine antagonists in the processing of such information remains unclear. The authors investigated the effect of a dopamine antagonist on perception of, and memory for, emotional information in healthy volunteers.

Schizophrenia and violence: a search for neurobiological correlates.

Purpose Of Review: Compelling evidence suggests that a small group of men who develop schizophrenia display a stable pattern of antisocial behaviour from childhood onwards, causing considerable suffering to victims and to themselves and imposing a significant financial burden on society. We reviewed the literature on the neurobiological correlates of antisocial behaviour and violence to further the understanding of this subgroup of persons with schizophrenia and develop testable hypotheses for future research.

Recent Findings: Few studies have been conducted, sample sizes are small and measures vary greatly.

Psychiatry in the Republic of Belarus.

The Republic of Belarus (ROB) covers 207 600 km and has a population of about 10 million (Ministry of Statistics and Analysis, 2005). It was a member state of the former Soviet Union until it gained independence in 1991. Belarus is located between Poland, Lithuania and Latvia in the west, Russia in the east, and Ukraine in the south.

Euthanasia: the role of the psychiatrist.

Belgium has become one of the few countries in the world where euthanasia is legally allowed within a specific juridical framework. Even more unique is the inclusion of grounds for requesting euthanasia on the basis of mental suffering. Further refinement of the legal, medical and psychiatric approach to the issue is required in order to clear up essential practical and ethical matters.

Olanzapine in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: beyond tics.

Unlabelled: Although there only have been a limited number of double-blind, placebo controlled trials, antipsychotics are considered to be effective drugs for the treatment of tics in Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). Evidence concerning the efficacy of olanzapine and other atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of tics in GTS is growing, but still limited. Little is known about the use of olanzapine in adult GTS patients and about its effect on comorbid behavioural problems.

Neurobiological correlates of violent behavior among persons with schizophrenia.

Men and women who develop schizophrenia are at increased risk, compared with the general population, to engage in violence toward others. The reasons for this robust finding remain obscure. We undertook a review of studies comparing neuropsychological test performance, neurological soft signs, and structural brain images of persons with schizophrenia with and without a history of violence.