Direct measurement of evaporation from grassland at Plynlimon

Abstract. Over the last decade there has been some uncertainty over the calculation of "actual" catchment evaporation from the long-term difference between rainfall and runoff for the grassland Wye catchment at Plynlimon, compared to estimates made using the Penman formula on data from automatic weather stations. Hence, measurements of actual evaporation were made over a two month period in the late summer of 1992 using the eddy-correlation technique on a relatively flat but wetter than average site in this upland region. Although the site was rather restricted for this type of measurement, the quality of data proved typical of other eddy-correlation measurements made at more aerodynamically suitable sites. The ratio of actual evaporation to the Penman estimate on dry days in summer was 0.83. This compares with an average annual ratio, generated from the catchment data for the period 1978 to 1995, of 1.01. The catchment rainfall value has been improved recently by weighting each gauge using altitude domains.

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Extension of the breeding season of the New Holland Mouse: a response to above-average rainfall

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9930599 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 599 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

BJ Fox ◽

P Higgs ◽

J Luo

Keyword(s):

Breeding Season ◽

Late Summer ◽

Summer Rainfall ◽

Threshold Value ◽

Average Rainfall ◽

Seasonal Breeder ◽

Quality Of Food ◽

Weather Stations

The New Holland mouse, Pseudomys novaehollandiae, has been reported to have a distinct 5-month breeding season, August to early January, with occasionally an extension to March. Hence it is classified as primarily a seasonal breeder with some of the flexibility of an opportunistic breeder. We present evidence of an extension of the 1991-92 breeding season to at least 10 months, from mid-October or earlier, to late July. In May 62.5% of females were pregnant or lactating whereas 25-44% were pregnant or lactating at different sites in July. Our data from sand-mined dunes extend from Bridge Hill Ridge at the northern end of the Myall Lakes National Park to Tomago near the mouth of the Hunter River. We collate data from studies over the last 20 years, documenting extended breeding in 8 different years, 6 from one region, and at least 4 from another. Twenty years of rainfall data from nearby weather stations in the two regions show extended breeding to be a response to climate, when rainfall between September and March exceeds a threshold value of 750-800mm (approximately 120% of the long-term average), with at least 420-480mm falling during the first three months of the year (approximately 130% of the long-term average). While rainfall appears to be the ultimate factor, we support Kemper''s hypothesis that the proximal factor is most likely to be the abundance or quality of food produced by above-average late summer rainfall.

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Measuring patient engagement among cancer patients in eHealth and mHealth interventions on symptom management: an integrated review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.17966 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Juqing Zhao ◽

Pei Chen ◽

Guangming Wan

Keyword(s):

Cancer Patients ◽

Patient Engagement ◽

Symptom Management ◽

Subjective Experience ◽

Participation Rate ◽

Sensor Data ◽

Quality Of Data ◽

Mhealth Intervention

BACKGROUND There has been an increase number of eHealth and mHealth interventions aimed to support symptoms among cancer survivors. However, patient engagement has not been guaranteed and standardized in these interventions. OBJECTIVE The objective of this review was to address how patient engagement has been defined and measured in eHealth and mHealth interventions designed to improve symptoms and quality of life for cancer patients. METHODS Searches were performed in MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify eHealth and mHealth interventions designed specifically to improve symptom management for cancer patients. Definition and measurement of engagement and engagement related outcomes of each intervention were synthesized. This integrated review was conducted using Critical Interpretive Synthesis to ensure the quality of data synthesis. RESULTS A total of 792 intervention studies were identified through the searches; 10 research papers met the inclusion criteria. Most of them (6/10) were randomized trial, 2 were one group trail, 1 was qualitative design, and 1 paper used mixed method. Majority of identified papers defined patient engagement as the usage of an eHealth and mHealth intervention by using different variables (e.g., usage time, log in times, participation rate). Engagement has also been described as subjective experience about the interaction with the intervention. The measurement of engagement is in accordance with the definition of engagement and can be categorized as objective and subjective measures. Among identified papers, 5 used system usage data, 2 used self-reported questionnaire, 1 used sensor data and 3 used qualitative method. Almost all studies reported engagement at a moment to moment level, but there is a lack of measurement of engagement for the long term. CONCLUSIONS There have been calls to develop standard definition and measurement of patient engagement in eHealth and mHealth interventions. Besides, it is important to provide cancer patients with more tailored and engaging eHealth and mHealth interventions for long term engagement.

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By Slow Degrees: Two Centuries of Social Reproduction and Mobility in Britain

Sociological Research Online ◽

10.5153/sro.1493 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 37-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Paul Lambert ◽

Kenneth Prandy ◽

Wendy Bottero

Keyword(s):

Social Mobility ◽

Social Reproduction ◽

Linear Trend ◽

Time Frame ◽

Quality Of Data ◽

Term Change ◽

Parental Background ◽

Long Term Trends

This paper discusses long term trends in patterns of intergenerational social mobility in Britain. We argue that there is convincing empirical evidence of a small but steady linear trend towards increasing social mobility throughout the period 1800-2004. Our conclusions are based upon the construction and analysis of an extended micro-social dataset, which combines records from an historical genealogical study, with responses from 31 sample surveys conducted over the period 1963-2004. There has been much previous study of trends in social mobility, and little consensus on their nature. We argue that this dissension partly results from the very slow pace of change in mobility rates, which makes the time-frame of any comparison crucial, and raises important methodological questions about how long-term change in mobility is best measured. We highlight three methodological difficulties which arise when trying to draw conclusions over mobility trends - concerning the extent of controls for life course effects; the quality of data resources; and the measurement of stratification positions. After constructing a longitudinal dataset which attempts to confront these difficulties, our analyses provide robust evidence which challenges hitherto more popular, politicised claims of declining or unchanging mobility. By contrast, our findings suggest that Britain has moved, and continues to move, steadily towards increasing equality in the relationship between occupational attainment and parental background.

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