The minimally conscious state (MCS) defines a functional level of recovery following severe brain injuries. Patients in MCS demonstrate unequivocal evidence of response to their environment yet fail to recover the ability to communicate. Drawing on recent functional brain-imaging studies, pathological data, and neurophysiological investigations, models of brain function in MCS are proposed. MCS...

In recent years, numerous electrophysiological signatures of consciousness have been proposed. Here, we perform a systematic analysis of these electroencephalography markers by quantifying their efficiency in differentiating patients in a vegetative state from those in a minimally conscious or conscious state. Capitalizing on a review of previous experiments and current theories, we identify a ...

The minimally conscious state (MCS) is a clinical manifestation of severe brain injury. While there are no evidence-based criteria, diagnostic guidelines were reached in a series of consensus development workshops [1]. The differential diagnosis of the minimally conscious state is important and includes the vegetative state (transient, persistent and permanent), coma and the locked-in syndrome ...

www.frontiersin.org encountered in the vegetative state makes it utterly difficult to identify possible REM sleep other than by the presence of muscular atonia and eye movements – note that nocturnal penile erections have been convincingly shown in vegetative patients (Cologan et al., in press). The brain’s metabolic activity in a coma, as measured by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomogr...

A new species, Cheilocostus borneensis, is described. Specimens were collected in Sarawak in 1987 and Kalimantan in 2000, but only intensified surveys of gingers in Sarawak in 2002-2004 provided sufficient collections to recognize the new species, which is here described and illustrated. It is closely related to the widespread C. globosus from which it differs by the chocolate-brown sheaths, ab...

Tithonia diversifolia, an alien ornamental plant introduced from Central America, has being naturalized in tropical, southern and central sub-tropical regions in the Yunnan Province of China (Wang et al. 2004). In order to evaluate this ominous alien species, our team has carried out a comprehensive study on its current geographical distribution, natural communities, vegetative proliferation an...

Runoff and interrill erosion were measured on three composted organics applied at 5-cm and 10-cm depths, a topsoil treatment (15-cm application), and the existing soil on a highway embankment with a 3 to 1 slope. Treatments were tested immediately after preparation and six weeks later to allow for the vegetative cover crop to grow. Rainfall simulations were conducted at an average intensity of ...

Tree survival, early fruit production, vegetative growth and alternate bearing were examined in six different olive cultivars (Barnea, Biancolilla, Coratina, Empeltre, Koroneiki and Leccino) under intensive agronomic conditions in southern Atacama Desert, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. The cultivars were evaluated over four successive years and had a high survival rate (93%) confi rming their...