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Background: The concept of recovery has increasingly become an organizing paradigm in the addiction field in the past 20 years, but definitions of the term vary amongst interested groups (e.g. researchers, clinicians, policy makers or people with lived experience). Although professional groups have started to form a consensus, people with lived experience of alcohol or drug (AOD) problems use the term in a different way, leading to confusion in policy making in the UK. Greater knowledge about the prevalence and correlates of adopting a recovery identity amongst those who have overcome an AOD problem would inform clinical, public health, and policy communication efforts. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional nationally representative survey of individuals resolving a significant AOD problem (n = 1,373). Weighted analyses estimated prevalence and tested correlates of label adoption. Qualitative analyses summarized reasons for adopting or not adopting a recovery identity. Results: The proportion of individuals currently identifying as being in recovery was 52.4%, never in recovery 28.6%, and no longer in recovery 19.0%. Predictors of identifying as being in recovery included current abstinence from AOD, formal treatment, recovery support service or mutual-help participation, and history of being diagnosed with AOD or other psychiatric disorders. Qualitative analyses found themes around not adopting a recovery identity related to low AOD problem severity, viewing the problem as resolved, or having little difficulty in stopping. Conclusions: Despite increasing use of the recovery label and concept in clinical and policy contexts, many resolving AOD problems do not identify in this manner. These are most likely to be individuals with less significant histories of impairment secondary to AOD and who have not engaged with formal or informal treatment systems. The understanding of the term recovery in this UK population did not completely align with abstinence from alcohol or drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds have been used for more than a decade in higher education for teaching and learning. Since the 1980s, academics began using virtual worlds as an exciting and innovative new technology to provide their students with new learning experiences that were difficult to provide any other way. But since that time, virtual worlds have failed to maintain their popularity as learning spaces; many builds falling into disuse and many disappearing altogether. The aim of this article is not only to determine why virtual worlds have not become a mainstream teaching tool, but to ascertain why they have even failed to maintain their popularity. In order to do this, the research team surveyed over 200 academics about the barriers and enablers to the use and perceived affordances of virtual worlds in teaching and learning. These responses are examined in relation to academics' past, present and future use, experience and knowledge of virtual world environments.

In this paper, I theorize fantasies of idealization at work in narratives of educational research. I take as an example one of the very first psychoanalytically oriented studies in the field: Marion Milner's, "The Human Problem in Schools," published in 1938. Evidence is drawn from Milner's published book as well as from the historical context and archived disagreements that surround the study's unfolding. My aim is to trace how constructions of knowledge in research are shaped by unconscious fantasies that are the mind's earliest resources for trying to make sense of the unknown world. The paper identifies in archived correspondence a tendency to idealize one's own knowledge in the face of controversy. To conclude, I establish a relationship between Milner's turn to an overtly psychoanalytic orientation and her capacity to move from a defensive position of mastery to a creative position of interpretation. Nearly a century after its publication, I suggest that Milner's study is prescient today for the way it raises questions about the status of fantasy and emotional conflict in narratives of teaching and learning that echo within narratives of educational research as well.

Background Systematic reviews suggest school-based mindfulness training (SBMT) shows promise in promoting student mental health. Objective The My Resilience in Adolescence (MYRIAD) Trial evaluated the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of SBMT compared with teaching-as-usual (TAU). Methods MYRIAD was a parallel group, cluster-randomised controlled trial. Eighty-five eligible schools consented and were randomised 1:1 to TAU (43 schools, 4232 students) or SBMT (42 schools, 4144 students), stratified by school size, quality, type, deprivation and region. Schools and students (mean (SD); age range=12.2 (0.6); 11-14 years) were broadly UK population-representative. Forty-three schools (n=3678 pupils; 86.9%) delivering SBMT, and 41 schools (n=3572; 86.2%) delivering TAU, provided primary end-point data. SBMT comprised 10 lessons of psychoeducation and mindfulness practices. TAU comprised standard social-emotional teaching. Participant-level risk for depression, social-emotional-behavioural functioning and well-being at 1 year follow-up were the co-primary outcomes. Secondary and economic outcomes were included. Findings Analysis of 84 schools (n=8376 participants) found no evidence that SBMT was superior to TAU at 1 year. Standardised mean differences (intervention minus control) were: 0.005 (95% CI -0.05 to 0.06) for risk for depression; 0.02 (-0.02 to 0.07) for social-emotional-behavioural functioning; and 0.02 (-0.03 to 0.07) for well-being. SBMT had a high probability of cost-effectiveness (83%) at a willingness-to-pay threshold of £20 000 per quality-adjusted life year. No intervention-related adverse events were observed. Conclusions Findings do not support the superiority of SBMT over TAU in promoting mental health in adolescence. Clinical implications There is need to ask what works, for whom and how, as well as considering key contextual and implementation factors. Trial registration Current controlled trials ISRCTN86619085. This research was funded by the Wellcome Trust (WT104908/Z/14/Z and WT107496/Z/15/Z). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Education is broader than academic teaching. It includes teaching students social--emotional skills both directly and indirectly through a positive school climate. Objective To evaluate if a universal school-based mindfulness training (SBMT) enhances teacher mental health and school climate. Methods The My Resilience in Adolescence parallel group, cluster randomised controlled trial (registration: ISRCTN86619085; funding: Wellcome Trust (WT104908/ Z/14/Z, WT107496/Z/15/Z)) recruited 85 schools (679 teachers) delivering social and emotional teaching across the UK. Schools (clusters) were randomised 1:1 to either continue this provision (teaching as usual (TAU)) or include universal SBMT. Data on teacher mental health and school climate were collected at prerandomisation, postpersonal mindfulness and SBMT teacher training, after delivering SBMT to students, and at 1-year follow-up. Finding Schools were recruited in academic years 2016/2017 and 2017/2018. Primary analysis (SBMT: 43 schools/362 teachers; TAU: 41 schools/310 teachers) showed that after delivering SBMT to students, SBMT versus TAU enhanced teachers' mental health (burnout) and school climate. Adjusted standardised mean differences (SBMT minus TAU) were: exhaustion (-0.22; 95% CI -0.38 to -0.05); personal accomplishment (-0.21; -0.41, -0.02); school leadership (0.24; 0.04, 0.44); and respectful climate (0.26; 0.06, 0.47). Effects on burnout were not significant at 1-year follow-up. Effects on school climate were maintained only for respectful climate. No SBMT-related serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions SBMT supports short-term changes in teacher burnout and school climate. Further work is required to explore how best to sustain improvements. Clinical implications SBMT has limited effects on teachers' mental and school climate. Innovative approaches to support and preserve teachers' mental health and school climate are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of beer yields a number of by-product streams, with spent brewers' yeast being the second most abundant in volume. The high nutritional value of spent yeast has seen a large proportion of spent brewers' yeast being used for both food and feed purposes. One of the uses of spent brewers' yeast for human consumption has been the production of yeast spreads, which came onto the market in the early 20th century, first in the United Kingdom and shortly thereafter in the commonwealth dominions, especially Australia and New Zealand. In this research we investigated the national status of yeast spreads in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. We show that a brewery by-product such as spent brewers' yeast is more than a mere novel utilisation of a waste stream but have become inherently associated with national identities of these countries to such an extent that some brands have become iconicised. Furthermore, some yeast spread brands have become a symbol of (inter)national polarisation, purely based on its initial sensorial characterisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Screen media use is associated with mental health problems among adolescents. However, few studies have examined screen media use using contemporaneous time diaries (rather than retrospective reports), compared associations across specific screen media activities or by gender, or examined associations with self-harm behaviors. Participants were 13- to 15-year-old adolescents completing time diaries (n = 4,252) for one weekday and one weekend day in the 2015 administration of the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative birth cohort study of UK adolescents. Participants also completed a measure of depressive symptoms and reported whether they had engaged in self-harm in the last year. Girls who spent 2 + hrs/day, compared to < 2 h/day, on digital media were more likely to self-harm (for social media use, adjusted relative risk [ARR] for self-harm = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.17, 1.82; for internet use, ARR = 1.80 [1.20, 2.70]). Girls spending more time on digital media were also more likely to be depressed (for social media, ARR = 1.29 [1.03, 1.63]; for internet use, ARR = 1.75 [1.19, 2.59]). Associations with gaming, texting/e-mailing, and TV/video watching among girls were mostly not significant. Associations for boys were mostly not significant. Girls who use digital media (especially social media and the internet) more hrs/day are more likely to have clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms and prior history of self-harm, though gaming, texting/e-mailing, and TV/video watching showed few associations. Screen media use was mostly not significantly associated with self-harm or depression among boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual problems are routinely dealt with in National Health Service (NHS) clinics across the UK. This is a service evaluation of the Maudsley Psychosexual Service situated in South London. It incorporates retrospective information on 609 referred patients over a three year period (2015–2017) with complex and persistent sexual problems. The majority of patients were referred from within the South London area of which 65% were male, mean age 40 with the female mean age being 34 years. Of referred individuals with varied sexual problems the greater numbers 78% came via primary care, 10% from acute medical service and 8% from acute psychological services. Of patients who were both assessed and treated 65% completed their planned treatment. These patients improved to below the cut-off point for distress and showed improvement in condition. The majority of referrals identified as white whilst those identifying as Black, Asian or Mixed Ethnic were notably under-representative of the patient community. Of those patients completing treatment 79% did so with a mean of 19 sessions supporting our treatment protocol for complex and persistent sexual problems. Given the financial challenges the NHS is experiencing it is fitting this evaluation indicates patients in this service are receiving care appropriate for their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Previous research on associations between screen media use and mental health produced mixed findings, possibly because studies have not examined screen activities separately or accounted for gender differences. We sought to examine associations between different types of screen activities (social media, internet, gaming, and TV) and mental health indicators separately for boys and girls. Methods: We drew from a nationally representative sample of 13–15-year-old adolescents in the UK (n = 11,427) asking about hours per day spent on specific screen media activities and four mental health indicators: self-harm behavior, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and self-esteem. Results: Hours spent on social media and Internet use were more strongly associated with self-harm behaviors, depressive symptoms, low life satisfaction, and low self-esteem than hours spent on electronic gaming and TV watching. Girls generally demonstrated stronger associations between screen media time and mental health indicators than boys (e.g., heavy Internet users were 166% more likely to have clinically relevant levels of depressive symptoms than low users among girls, compared to 75% more likely among boys). Conclusion: Thus, not all screen time is created equal; social media and Internet use among adolescent girls are the most strongly associated with compromised mental health. Future research should examine different screen media activities and boys and girls separately where possible. Practitioners should be aware that some types of screen time are more likely to be linked to mental health issues than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: There is a need for a universal risk-adjustment model that may be used regardless of the indication and nature of neonatal or paediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. The 'paediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation prediction' model appeared to be a promising candidate but required external validation. Methods: We performed a validation study using institutional database of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation patients (2008-2019). We used the published paediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation prediction score calculator to derive estimated mortality based on the model in this cohort of patients in our institutional database. We used standardized mortality ratio, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test in 10 deciles to assess model performance. Results: We analysed 154 extracorporeal membrane oxygenation episodes in 150 patients. About 53% of the patients were full term (age ⩽30 days and gestation at birth ⩾37 weeks) neonates. The commonest category of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support was cardiac (42%). The overall in-paediatric intensive care unit mortality was 37% (57/154) and the in-hospital mortality was 42% (64/154). Distribution of estimated mortality risk was similar to the derivation study. The calculated standardized mortality ratio was 0.81 based on the paediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation prediction model of risk-adjustment. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.55 (0.45-0.64) and Hosmer-Lemeshow-test p value <0.001 was unable to support goodness-of-fit. Conclusion: This small single-centre study with a small number of events was unable to validate the paediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation prediction-model of risk-adjustment. Although this remains the most promising of all the available models, further validation in larger data sets and/or refinement may be required before widespread use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco control policies have potential to be an effective strategy for the reduction of smoking prevalence and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure in tertiary educational settings worldwide. The aims of this study were to collect baseline data among staff and students, to measure smoking behaviours and attitudes towards introduction of campus-wide tobacco control policies within a UK higher education setting.Methods: Cross-sectional study using data collected by web-based questionnaire administered to employed staff and enrolled students (undergraduate/postgraduate) at the University of Birmingham from May 2016 to April 2017. Information was obtained regarding demographic characteristics, tobacco usage patterns and attitudes towards a revised campus tobacco control policy using a 21-item survey tool. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore associations between participant characteristics and support for smoke-free or tobacco-free campus policy options, evaluated by crude and adjusted Odds Radios (OR) after controlling for confounding factors (significance level: P < 0.05).Results: A total of 934 survey responses were received, of whom 780 participants provided complete information on staff or student status and were included in the present analysis. Current smoking prevalence was 14% (N = 109; 95% confidence interval (CI) 11.6-16.6). Overall, 66.3% (95% CI: 62.9-69.7) of participants supported a smoke-free campus; 68.5% (95% CI: 65.2-71.8) endorsed restrictions for tobacco sales and just under half of respondents (47.3%; 95% CI: 43.8-50.9) supported a ban for electronic cigarettes/vaping device use on campus. Smoking status was an independent predictor of support for tobacco control, with the lowest level of support for a smoke-free campus among daily (adjusted OR 0.02; 95% CI: 0.01-0.05) and intermittent smokers (adjusted OR 0.06; 95% CI: 0.02-0.16).Conclusions: Overall, the majority of staff and students participating in this baseline survey supported implementation of a smoke-free or comprehensive tobacco-free campus policy. These findings may inform the development and future implementation of a revised tobacco control policy at the university which reflects contemporary attitudes and considers a broad range of implementation issues, including behaviour change and environmental adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Workplace bullying is an occupational hazard for trainee doctors. However, little is known about their experiences of cyberbullying at work. This study examines the impact of cyberbullying among trainee doctors, and how attributions of blame for cyberbullying influence individual and work-related outcomes. Methods Doctors at over 6 months into training were asked to complete an online survey that included measures of cyberbullying, blame attribution, negative emotion, job satisfaction, interactional justice and mental strain. A total of 158 trainee doctors (104 women, 54 men) completed the survey. Results Overall, 73 (46.2%) respondents had experienced at least one act of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying adversely impacted on job satisfaction (β = − 0.19; p < 0.05) and mental strain (β = 0.22; p < 0.001), although attributions of blame for the cyberbullying influenced its impact and the path of mediation. Negative emotion mediated the relationship between self-blame for a cyber-bullying act and mental strain, whereas interactional injustice mediated the association between blaming the perpetrator and job dissatisfaction. Conclusions Acts of cyberbullying had been experienced by nearly half of the sample during their training and were found to significantly relate to ill health and job dissatisfaction. The deleterious impact of cyberbullying can be addressed through both workplace policies, and training for trainee doctors and experienced medical professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evacuation of British children during World War II is read alongside the legend of the 'Pied Piper' after which the mass migration was officially named. While virtually every British account of World War II makes mention of the evacuation, most are silent on the question of its ominous title: 'Operation Pied Piper'. This paper traces the legend's key theme - on influencing and being influenced - as it surfaces in the writing of one child analyst and one social worker charged with the responsibility of leading a family of five hostels for British youth. At a time when Hitler's deadly regime reached unprecedented heights across the Channel, the legend of the 'Pied Piper' becomes a highly suggestive metaphor for thinking about D. W. Winnicott and Clare Britton's writing on what authority could mean in the face of leadership gone terribly wrong. Quite another, profoundly intimate loss of leadership haunts their words as well: Sigmund Freud, in exile from Hitler's Europe and leader of the psychoanalytic movement, died in London just weeks after the first wave of Blitz evacuations. It is in this context that Winnicott and Britton articulated a theory of authority that could address the losses of history without at the same time demanding the loss of the mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metaphorical journeys of GenY missionaries from the United Kingdom towards commitment to long-term, cross-cultural missionary work overseas were studied using data collected by interview and questionnaire. Lewis Rambo's 'stages of religious change' model describes many aspects of these journeys. The addition of two new dimensions-recognising events that deflect a person from a straight-line trajectory ('deflection') and events that provide the encouragement to go on ('support')-produces a model that describes these journeys more accurately. The model is further improved by adding new aspects to the 'quest,' 'commitment' and 'consequences' dimensions, and by the identification of differences between men and women. The modified model provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the journey of GenY-ers toward a missionary career. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has funded nine Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs). Each CLAHRC is a partnership between higher education institutions (HEIs) and the NHS in nine UK regional health economies. The CLAHRC for Leeds, York, and Bradford comprises two 'research themes' and three 'implementation themes.' One of these implementation themes is Translating Research into Practice in Leeds and Bradford (TRiPLaB). TRiPLaB aims to develop, implement, and evaluate methods for inducing and sustaining the uptake of research knowledge into practice in order to improve the quality of health services for the people of Leeds and Bradford.Methods: TRiPLaB is built around a three-stage, sequential, approach using separate, longitudinal case studies conducted with collaborating NHS organisations, TRiPLaB will select robust innovations to implement, conduct a theory-informed exploration of the local context using a variety of data collection and analytic methods, and synthesise the information collected to identify the key factors influencing the uptake and adoption of targeted innovations. This synthesis will inform the development of tailored, multifaceted, interventions designed to increase the translation of research findings into practice. Mixed research methods, including time series analysis, quasi-experimental comparison, and qualitative process evaluation, will be used to evaluate the impact of the implementation strategies deployed.Conclusion: TRiPLaB is a theory-informed, systematic, mixed methods approach to developing and evaluating tailored implementation strategies aimed at increasing the translation of research-based findings into practice in one UK health economy. Through active collaboration with its local NHS, TRiPLaB aims to improve the quality of health services for the people of Leeds and Bradford and to contribute to research knowledge regarding the interaction between context and adoption behaviour in health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Myers-Briggs personality types were collected in a survey of female Christian missionaries from the UK. Their psychological type profile differs significantly from the population norm. As a group, these female missionaries are more “intuitive” (N) and less “sensing” (S) than the norm. The NF temperament is more common and the SP temperament is less common than the norm and the proportion of INFJ type women is higher than for the population norm. These differences are typical of other female Christian religious groups, except for rural churchgoers. Female missionaries, as a group, are more “feeling” (F) and less “thinking” (T) than their male counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

English children's annuals developed as a genre during the late nineteenth century and contained short fiction, articles and illustrations. In what seems an odd pairing, the 'wild west' was a dominant trope in annuals. One of the ways in which children's cultural knowledge of the American west came about was through exposure to popular literature in annuals, most of which was written by English writers, for whom it seems the American west had a particular resonance. Why were twentieth-century British writers of this type of popular children's fiction so powerfully attracted to the 'wild west'? This essay argues that children's western tales provided opportunities to demonstrate white, western, and particularly English superiority, at a time of declining English world power. Class, race and gender ideology was transmitted easily in such stories for youthful, mostly uncritical readers. This essay explores the cultural significance of the strange pairing of the American 'wild west' and English children's annuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clean coal technologies (including 'capture ready' advanced supercritical pulverised coal and integrated gasification combined cycle) currently under consideration for the UK are described in the context of recent UK and EU energy and climate change policies that recognise the continuing importance of coal in future power generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 50,000 British convicts were sentenced to servitude and forcibly transported to America between 1718 and 1775. This transatlantic market for British convict labor was a vast experiment in privatizing posttrial criminal justice. By the early eighteenth century, removal of criminals from society was seen as a more effective deterrent to recidivism than physical chastisement. Removal of noncapital offenders through mass hangings or employment as chain gangs in England was considered too barbaric and too politically risky. Removal through imprisonment was too expensive given the absence of penitentiaries designed for long-term incarceration. Thus, banishment overseas became the preferred policy. Convict transportees were given one of only three possible sentences, namely, 7 years, 14 years, or a lifetime of banishment (74, 24, and 2 percent, respectively), which in turn became the length of their servant contracts in America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine cross-national generalization of the relative importance of factors that affect supplier selection and level of usage for global business services providers. Tests indicate that the majority of the response coefficients for a model of foreign exchange markets are equal across the four countries studied - U.S., Canada, U.K., and Germany. Inter-country differences in buyer response seem most related to competitiveness and identifiable country-specific institutional factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents information on a study which provided a market model of the convict trade and explained how economic forces shaped British penal policy regarding convict transportation between 1718-1775. Details on the model of the convict trade; Empirical analysis and hypothesis testing; Labor value of criminality; Political economy of convict transportation.

This research paper presents an in-depth study of two systems developed by a British oligopolist--one system for sales volume forecasting, the other system for day-to-day decisions on pricing. The paper describes two decision systems employed by a firm in an industry characterized as undifferentiated oligopoly; the development of terms of trade to suit market conditions and of short-term expectations with regard to volumes. The competitive situation in such industries requires that the firm organize carefully, both with regard to its planning processes and with regard to procedures which allow for adjustments to permit temporary deviation from previously developed plan.

The article discusses the case of Grace Mugweni v NHS London, where post-surgery cardiac arrest occurred due to tension pneumothorax. The patient has watershed brain injury. The judge found that there was breach of duty for a period of 2-3 minutes before the cardiac arrest but that it did not cause or contribute to the watershed damage. The decision by the Court of Appeals endorses the theory that the second insult will cause no damage unless it is longer and sustained for a period of time.

This editorial comments on a 24 year study of 45,000 women on the birth control pill in Great Britain which showed that there is no increased risk of cancer among this population and there was a decrease of risk for colon, rectum, uterine or ovarian cancers among those on the pill. The study did suggest there might be a slight increased risk for cervical cancer and recommends routine screening for the disease.

Focuses on the use of coal for electricity generation in Great Britain; Cheapest option for electricity generation offered by using coal; Options for cutting carbon dioxide emissions in existing coal-fired plant; Question on whether retrofits are practically viable; Launch by the Department for Trade and Industry of a public consultation on the content of its Carbon Abatement Strategy.

The article discusses an application with the court for an order that the care and accommodation issues involving a cerebral palsy patient should be stayed until such time as the Claimant had submitted to an assessment under Section 47 of the National Health Services and Community Care Act in Great Britain. In order to avoid a stay the Claimant's representatives agreed to an order for assessment, but limited to one person visiting for a period of around 2.5 hours.

This is a critical time for the energy sector and we cannot afford to rest on our laurels with regards to skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary1 Plants can respond to nutrient-rich patches by proliferation of roots or by increased rates of ion uptake; such patches are therefore considered to be an important source of nutrients for plant growth. However, little is known about the spatial and temporal heterogeneity of nutrient concentration at scales that are applicable to the development of root systems of herbaceous perennial plants. 2 A woodland site in North Yorkshire (UK) was studied to measure the scale and extent of nutrient heterogeneity. Phosphate, nitrate, ammonium, pH and soil moisture were measured by destructive soil coring over a period of 2 years, and phosphate, nitrate and ammonium were also measured at a smaller scale using Rhizon Soil Solution Samplers. 3 Soil moisture was relatively constant at 0.6 g g–1 fresh soil weight. Temporal variation was found in all other variables, but the timing of peaks in nutrient concentration was not predictable. 4 Soil coring showed differences in phosphate, ammonium and nitrate concentrations at a scale of over 2 m, which may be too large a scale to affect individual herbaceous perennial plants but might be important for trees. However, the soil solution sampling showed two- to fivefold differences in nitrate and ammonium at scales of 20 cm; the root systems of many herbaceous plants will spread over such distances. 5 Peaks in nutrient concentration that occurred in localized areas lasted no more than 4 weeks. Therefore if these nutrient-rich patches are to be utilized by plants, their roots must respond rapidly. 6 The study showed that localized nutrient-rich areas may form an important source of nutrients for plants in some natural habitats, especially when the general levels of nutrient availability are low. Hence the patchy nature of the soil should be considered in root foraging and population studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]