Prediction Error Stabilization and Long-Term Standard Results with a Monofocal Intraocular Lens

The aim of this study was to assess the stability and differences between objective (O-Rx) and subjective (S-Rx) refraction for the assessment of the prediction error (PE). A secondary aim was to report the results of a monofocal intraocular lens (IOL). 100 subjects were included for whom S-Rx and O-Rx were obtained for all visits, and for visual performance, posterior capsular opacification incidence and Nd:YAG rates at 12 months. Either S-Rx and O-Rx showed a hyperopic shift from 1 to 6 months (p < 0.05) and stabilization after 6 months. S-Rx was related with the axial length (rho = −0.29, p = 0.007), obtaining a major tendency towards hyperopia in short eyes implanted with high-power IOLs. O-Rx showed a myopic shift in comparison to S-Rx (p < 0.05). This resulted in a decrease of the number of eyes in ±0.50 D and ±1.00 D from 79 to 67% and from 94 to 90%, respectively. The median (interquartile range) uncorrected and corrected visual acuities were 0.1 (0.29) and 0 (0.12) logMAR, respectively, and seven eyes required Nd:YAG capsulotomy at 12 months. Some caution should be taken in PE studies in which O-Rx is used or S-Rx is measured in a 1-month follow-up. Constant optimization should be conducted for this IOL after S-Rx stabilization.This work has received financial support from the Medtech Initiative, promoted by the Department of Health and Lehendakaritza through the Basque Government’s Innovation Fund

GrassPlot : the database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

Understanding patterns and drivers of phytodiversity as well as ecological scaling laws and assembly rules constitute core interests both of vegetation ecologists and macroecologists. To enhance our understanding of these issues, we compiled the new “Database of Scale-Dependent Phytodiversity Patterns in Palaearctic Grasslands” (GrassPlot; GIVD ID EU-00-003) within the framework of the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG). GrassPlot contains high-quality plot observations (relevés) of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001 … 1000 m²) as well as nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The scope of GrassPlot are the grasslands as well as other herb- or cryptogam-dominated terrestrial and semi-terrestrial vegetation types from the whole Palaearctic biogeographic realm (Europe, North Africa, West, Central and North Asia)

Biodiversity patterns of dry grasslands in the Central Apennines (Italy) along a precipitation gradient : experiences from the 10th EDGG Field Workshop

The 10th EDGG Field Workshop took place in a sector of the Central Apennine Mountains, Italy, in June 2017. Altogether, 22 researchers from nine European and Asian countries attended this Field Workshop. We sampled plant and insect biodiversity in submontane and lower-montane grasslands along a precipitation gradient, from the L’Aquila valley and the Fucino basin to the “Abruzzo, Lazio & Molise” National Park. The standardized EDGG sampling protocol, involving nested-plot series and additional 10-m2 relevés, was used. In the course of seven days of intensive fieldwork, we sampled 20 biodiversity plots along with 57 additional normal plots (yielding a total dataset of 97 10-m2 plots). Methodological additions tested in this workshop included the assessment of observer-related error (around 12% of the 10-m2 plots was resurveyed by a different team). In all plots, vascular plants, bryophytes and lichens were sampled. At each nested-plot series, also insects (Auchenorrhyncha) were sampled by local specialists, who developed an ad-hoc sampling procedure

GrassPlot v. 2.00 – first update on the database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

Abstract: GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). Following a previous Long Database Report (Dengler et al. 2018, Phyto- coenologia 48, 331–347), we provide here the first update on content and functionality of GrassPlot. The current version (GrassPlot v. 2.00) contains a total of 190,673 plots of different grain sizes across 28,171 independent plots, with 4,654 nested-plot series including at least four grain sizes. The database has improved its content as well as its functionality, including addition and harmonization of header data (land use, information on nestedness, structure and ecology) and preparation of species composition data. Currently, GrassPlot data are intensively used for broad-scale analyses of different aspects of alpha and beta diversity in grassland ecosystems

Global multi-site, prospective analysis of cataract surgery outcomes following ICHOM standards: the European CAT-Community

Purpose To evaluate in a large sample of patients from 10 different European centers the results of cataract surgery, characterizing the relationship between patient-reported outcomes (PROMs) and clinician-reported outcome measures (CROMs). Methods Prospective non-interventional multicenter observational descriptive study analyzing the clinical outcomes of a total of 3799 cases undergoing cataract surgery (mean age: 72.7 years). In all cases, the cataract surgery standard developed by the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurements (ICHOM) was used to register the clinical data. Three-month postoperative visual acuity and refraction data were considered CROMs, whereas Rasch-calibrated item 2 (RCCQ2) and total Catquest-9SF score (CQ) were considered PROMs. Results Postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 0.3 logMAR or better in 88.7% (2505/2823) of eyes. Mean differences between preoperative and postoperative RCCQ2 and CQ scores were −3.09 and −2.39, respectively. Visual function improvement with surgery was reported by 91.5% (2163/2364) of patients. Statistically significant, although weak, correlations of postoperative CDVA with postoperative refraction, PROMs, and complications were found (0.133 ≤ r ≤0.289, p < 0.001). A predictive model (R2: 0.254) of postoperative CDVA considering 10 variables was obtained, including preoperative CDVA, different ocular comorbidities, age, gender and intraoperative complications. Likewise, another predictive model (R2: 0.148) of postoperative CQ considering a total of 14 variables was obtained, including additionally preoperative CQ, target refraction and previous surgeries. Conclusions Cataract surgery provides an improved functional vision in most of patients although this improvement can be limited by ocular comorbidities and complications. The relationship between PROMs and CROMs is multifactorial and complex.This study has been sponsored by a grant from Johnson & Johnson Vision. The author David P Piñero has been supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness of Spain within the program Ramón y Cajal, RYC-2016-20471

sPlot:a new tool for global vegetation analyses

Abstract Aims: Vegetation‐plot records provide information on the presence and cover or abundance of plants co‐occurring in the same community. Vegetation‐plot data are spread across research groups, environmental agencies and biodiversity research centers and, thus, are rarely accessible at continental or global scales. Here we present the sPlot database, which collates vegetation plots worldwide to allow for the exploration of global patterns in taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity at the plant community level. Results: sPlot version 2.1 contains records from 1,121,244 vegetation plots, which comprise 23,586,216 records of plant species and their relative cover or abundance in plots collected worldwide between 1885 and 2015. We complemented the information for each plot by retrieving climate and soil conditions and the biogeographic context (e.g., biomes) from external sources, and by calculating community‐weighted means and variances of traits using gap‐filled data from the global plant trait database TRY. Moreover, we created a phylogenetic tree for 50,167 out of the 54,519 species identified in the plots. We present the first maps of global patterns of community richness and community‐weighted means of key traits. Conclusions: The availability of vegetation plot data in sPlot offers new avenues for vegetation analysis at the global scale

Benchmarking plant diversity of Palaearctic grasslands and other open habitats

Abstract Aims: Understanding fine-grain diversity patterns across large spatial extents is fundamental for macroecological research and biodiversity conservation. Using the GrassPlot database, we provide benchmarks of fine-grain richness values of Palaearctic open habitats for vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens and complete vegetation (i.e., the sum of the former three groups). Location: Palaearctic biogeographic realm. Methods: We used 126,524 plots of eight standard grain sizes from the GrassPlot database: 0.0001, 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m² and calculated the mean richness and standard deviations, as well as maximum, minimum, median, and first and third quartiles for each combination of grain size, taxonomic group, biome, region, vegetation type and phytosociological class. Results: Patterns of plant diversity in vegetation types and biomes differ across grain sizes and taxonomic groups. Overall, secondary (mostly semi-natural) grasslands and natural grasslands are the richest vegetation type. The open-access file ”GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks” and the web tool “GrassPlot Diversity Explorer” are now available online (https://edgg.org/databases/GrasslandDiversityExplorer) and provide more insights into species richness patterns in the Palaearctic open habitats. Conclusions: The GrassPlot Diversity Benchmarks provide high-quality data on species richness in open habitat types across the Palaearctic. These benchmark data can be used in vegetation ecology, macroecology, biodiversity conservation and data quality checking. While the amount of data in the underlying GrassPlot database and their spatial coverage are smaller than in other extensive vegetation-plot databases, species recordings in GrassPlot are on average more complete, making it a valuable complementary data source in macroecology