20 research outputs found
Species-specific adaptations explain resilience of herbaceous understorey to increased precipitation variability in a Mediterranean oak woodland
To date, the implications of the predicted greater intra-annual variability and
extremes in precipitation on ecosystem functioning have received little attention.
This study presents results on leaf-level physiological responses of five species
covering the functional groups grasses, forbs, and legumes in the
understorey of a Mediterranean oak woodland, with increasing precipitation
variability, without altering total annual precipitation inputs. Although extending
the dry period between precipitation events from 3 to 6 weeks led to
increased soil moisture deficit, overall treatment effects on photosynthetic performance
were not observed in the studied species. This resilience to prolonged
water stress was explained by different physiological and morphological strategies
to withstand periods below the wilting point, that is, isohydric behavior in
Agrostis, Rumex, and Tuberaria, leaf succulence in Rumex, and taproots in Tolpis.
In addition, quick recovery upon irrigation events and species-specific
adaptations of water-use efficiency with longer dry periods and larger precipitation
events contributed to the observed resilience in productivity of the annual
plant community. Although none of the species exhibited a change in cover
with increasing precipitation variability, leaf physiology of the legume Ornithopus
exhibited signs of sensitivity to moisture deficit, which may have implications
for the agricultural practice of seeding legume-rich mixtures in
Mediterranean grassland-type systems. This highlights the need for long-term
precipitation manipulation experiments to capture possible directional changes
in species composition and seed bank development, which can subsequently
affect ecosystem state and functioninginfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
In the Market for an ECE Transition-to-school Programme?
This article draws on a small evaluation research project, conducted in one early childhood education (ECE) centre in Auckland, New Zealand, with the aim of supporting its capacity for self-review. The centre management and governance team was motivated to seek out the support of research as part of their response to two recent Education Review Office (ERO) reports that had cast doubt over the value of their transition-to-school programme, and the pedagogy used at the centre. This article draws on this evaluation research to discuss knowledge debates that featured in the discourses of the centre and its community: dispute about the value of the transition programme; the paradox of mandatory self-review; and the difficult work of changing practice, in responding to ERO advice to move away from teacher-directed pedagogy
Development of Preliminary Remission Criteria for Gout Using Delphi and 1000Minds Consensus Exercises
Objective: To establish consensus for potential remission criteria to use in clinical trials of gout. Methods: Experts (n = 88) in gout from multiple countries were invited to participate in a web-based questionnaire study. Three rounds of Delphi consensus exercises were conducted using SurveyMonkey, followed by a discrete-choice experiment using 1000Minds software. The exercises focused on identifying domains, definitions for each domain, and the timeframe over which remission should be defined. Results: There were 49 respondents (56% response) to the initial survey, with subsequent response rates ranging from 57% to 90%. Consensus was reached for the inclusion of serum urate (98% agreement), flares (96%), tophi (92%), pain (83%), and patient global assessment of disease activity (93%) as measurement domains in remission criteria. Consensus was also reached for domain definitions, including serum urate (<0.36 mm), pain (<2 on a 10-point scale), and patient global assessment (<2 on a 10-point scale), all of which should be measured at least twice over a set time interval. Consensus was not achieved in the Delphi exercise for the timeframe for remission, with equal responses for 6 months (51%) and 1 year (49%). In the discrete-choice experiment, there was a preference towards 12 months as a timeframe for remission. Conclusion: These consensus exercises have identified domains and provisional definitions for gout remission criteria. Based on the results of these exercises, preliminary remission criteria are proposed with domains of serum urate, acute flares, tophus, pain, and patient global assessment. These preliminary criteria now require testing in clinical data sets