Precipice Of Change Research Articles

Habitat suitability of biocrust communities in a cold desert ecosystem.

Drylands are unique among terrestrial ecosystems in that they have a significant proportion of primary production facilitated by non-vascular plants such as colonial cyanobacteria, moss, and lichens, i.e., biocrusts, which occur on and in the surface soil. Biocrusts inhabit all continents, including Antarctica, an increasingly dynamic continent on the precipice of change. Here, we describe in-situ field surveying and sampling, remote sensing, and modeling approaches to assess the habitat suitability of biocrusts in the Lake Fryxell basin of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, which is the main site of the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Soils suitable for the development of biocrusts are typically wetter, less alkaline, and less saline compared to unvegetated soils. Using random forest models, we show that gravimetric water content, electrical conductivity, and snow frequency are the top predictors of biocrust presence and biomass. Areas most suitable for the growth of dense biocrusts are soils associated with seasonal snow patches. Using geospatial data to extrapolate our habitat suitability model to the whole basin predicts that biocrusts are present in 2.7 × 105 m2 and contain 11-72 Mg of aboveground carbon, based on the 90% probability of occurrence. Our study illustrates the synergistic effect of combining field and remote sensing data for understanding the distribution and biomass of biocrusts, a foundational community in the carbon balance of this region. Extreme weather events and changing climate conditions in this region, especially those influencing snow accumulation and persistence, could have significant effects on the future distribution and abundance of biocrusts and therefore soil organic carbon storage in the McMurdo Dry Valleys.

A Qualitative Exploration of Postoperative Bariatric Patients' Psychosocial Support for Long-Term Weight Loss and Psychological Wellbeing.

There is a paucity of research exploring postoperative psychosocial interventions for bariatric surgery patients exceeding 2 years, and therefore, an interdisciplinary postoperative approach is warranted. This qualitative study explored the psychosocial support that bariatric surgery patients feel they need to sustain long-term weight loss and their psychological wellbeing. Fifteen postoperative patients participated in recorded semi-structured online interviews that were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Three themes and six subthemes emerged. Theme 1, Journey to surgery, has two subthemes: Deep roots and Breaking point. Theme 2, The precipice of change, has two sub-themes: Continuity of care and Can't cut the problem out. Theme 3, Bridging the Gap, has two subthemes: Doing it together and Taking back the reigns. The inconsistencies participants experienced in their pre- and postoperative care led to dissonance, and they felt unprepared for the demands of life postoperatively. Bariatric surgery is a catalyst for physical change, but surgery alone is insufficient to ensure sustained change. Surgical and psychosocial interventions are interdependent rather than mutually exclusive. Patients favour an integrative, personalised, stepped-care approach pre- and postoperatively, with active participation fostering autonomy and access to ongoing support extending into the long-term.

On the precipice of change

British Journal of Cardiac NursingVol. 17, No. 12 EditorialOn the precipice of changeAysha MendesAysha MendesCorrespondence to: Aysha Mendes; E-mail Address: [email protected]British Journal of Cardiac Nursing, MA Healthcare Ltd, London, UKSearch for more papers by this authorAysha MendesPublished Online:3 Jan 2023https://doi.org/10.12968/bjca.2022.0139AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail View article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 2 December 2022Volume 17Issue 12ISSN (online): 2052-2207 Metrics History Published online 3 January 2023 Published in print 2 December 2022 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download

The Postpandemic Pedagogue

The Postpandemic Pedagogue Matthew Hoch (bio) VOICE PEDAGOGY The summer of 2021 marked the fifteenth anniversary of my participation in the NATS Intern Program. As I lived vicariously through this year's two classes of interns—through their various social media posts and Inter Nos articles—I could not help but reflect on my own experiences as an intern. Those ten days spent in Kansas City in June 2006 were a pivotal part of my formation as a teacher of singing. My master teacher was Don Simonson, who imparted a wealth of practical knowledge to us through our mentored teaching and lunchtime chats, drawn from his vast experience as a performer and university professor of singing. I observed and participated in classical vocal master classes and literature sessions, and there was one memorable presentation offered by the UMKC dean that was devoted to achieving tenure in higher education, since that is what many (if not most) of the interns aspired to do. I was headed into my first year as an assistant professor at Shorter College, so the timing was perfect for me. I left the program fulfilled, inspired, and ready to conquer the world. That summer marked the beginning of fifteen years of navigating academic trenches. After six years at a small teaching college, I moved to my current position at Auburn University, which is an R1, land-grant institution. I jumped through all the required hoops to achieve promotion and tenure, focusing primarily on peer reviewed articles, books, and conference presentations, because I was told repeatedly that those activities "carry the most weight" with the committees that would decide my fate. My voice teaching certainly seemed to be more than adequate, with my students regularly achieving success at NATS auditions, MTNA competitions, and through placement in good graduate programs. I received affirmation from my colleagues in the profession in addition to awards for my work. In short, I had perfected my academic routine, which essentially looked the same from year to year. And every August that routine began again. It was easy to feel like I had become very good at what I do. It did not seem to matter if my teaching had not changed very much in between 2009 and 2019—everything seemed to be working just fine. Then 2020 happened, and everything changed overnight. I struggled alongside my colleagues as we adapted to the new reality of online teaching. Our professional organizations cancelled conferences or converted them to online formats. My academic projects suddenly seemed trivial and irrelevant to the pedagogic world in which we were now living. For the first time in career, I felt wholly inadequate as a teacher and scholar. I did not know as much as I thought I did. [End Page 483] In my personal life and day to day interactions, people have begun to refer to events in their lives as "prepandemic" or "postpandemic." As a child, I remember my grandparents framing the timeline of their lives according to World War II, recalling their childhood and growing up "before the War" (with a capital "W"). I suspect the pandemic will occupy a similar station for all of us who have lived through it. In voice pedagogy, the past eighteen months have had significant implications for the future of our profession. The pandemic has hastened, exposed, clarified a variety of trends that already had been taking shape over the last two decades as we stood by, "both knowingly and unknowingly on the precipice of change."1 This editorial will attempt to summarize these emerging themes and their implications for the future of voice pedagogy. ONLINE TEACHING IS HERE TO STAY The most obvious tidal change in our profession is also perhaps the most significant. The postpandemic singing teacher will be expected to offer quality instruction both in person and online with equal comfort. While some singing teachers were ahead of this trend prior to the pandemic, many resisted the online teaching movement, and most singing teachers faced a steep learning curve beginning in March 2020. With varying levels of success, most of us adapted to this change, even if we had no other choice. A NATS membership survey conducted...

Patients’ and therapists’ actions on the precipice of change: Session processes before sudden gains and sudden losses.

In the present study, sessions prior to sudden gains, sudden losses, and neutral control sessions were examined regarding the processes of change resource activation, problem actuation and therapeutic alliance. With respect to these change processes, we examined whether pregain, preloss, and neutral sessions are distinguishable by particular patterns. For the current project, videos of 30 pregain, 29 preloss, and 30 neutral control sessions from n = 89 patients receiving integrative cognitive–behavioral therapy were rated minute-by-minute using Resource-Oriented Microprocess Analysis. The sample was drawn from a total of N = 365 patients, who had completed treatment or who had attended at least 20 sessions of therapy between the years of 2007 and 2011. Discriminant function and survival analyses as well as a binary logistic regression analysis were performed to identify patterns and timing of change processes associated with session types (gains, losses, and neutral sessions). The three session types differed with regard to patterns of resource activation and problem actuation. No difference concerning therapeutic alliance was found. The findings may help future studies to generate new hypotheses regarding processes that are involved in the occurrence of sudden changes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Challenges for the Island of Barbuda: A Distinct Cultural and Ecological Island Ecosystem at the Precipice of Change

Barbuda is one of two major islands that comprise the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda. The island is known for its secluded pink and white sand beaches and, more recently, for Hurricane Irma (September 2017). The category five mega-storm decimated much of the island’s landscape and infrastructure, and the physical damage was widely publicized. Three years after Hurricane Irma, many challenges related to humanitarian aid, fiscal resources, and materials to rebuild remain. There are many natural resource commodity and human social challenges including those related to water resources, agriculture, marine ecosystems, feral animal populations, human health, tourism, and economics. This article includes some of Barbuda’s historical context and identifies a number of current critical challenges and recommendations for activities (approaches) that may advance a number of management practices. For example, the Integrated Watershed Management (IWM) and/or One Health approach(es) include social and fiscal mechanisms to implement programs, policies, legislation, and research in which multiple sectors of Barbuda could communicate and work together to achieve sustainable outcomes. Context is provided to substantiate humanitarian aid, scientific engagement, scientific progress, and political support for a semi-closed cultural socio-ecological island ecosystem at the precipice of change.

Big Sur in 1932: On the Precipice of Change

Big Sur in 1932: On the Precipice of Change

The changing flux in the photograph at the precipice of change: the phototrix and the death of the photograph

The changing flux in the photograph at the precipice of change: the phototrix and the death of the photograph

Improving Communication Effects and Value in Professional Soccer: An Analysis of the Chinese Super League

This case examines dilemmas evolving in China’s premier soccer league, the Chinese Super League. A plan is suggested for confronting the league’s challenges, with recommendations that focus on creating a harmonious and competitive league. Challenges arise from the political and economic transformation currently taking place in China, affecting league operations. While the league stands at a precipice of change on the eve of the Beijing Olympic Games, its viability as a going concern is uncertain. Part of the uncertainty derives from an unregulated system of league policies that have been poorly communicated and unenforced, resulting in discord. Development of league regulations and communication protocols remains largely government driven and would be best if consistent with the local culture, but commercial issues of league operations are also important. Enhancing the effectiveness and consistency of culture-sensitive communication protocols—especially between the government, media, and league officials—will increase participation from league stakeholders.

Leading Small: Eight Lessons for Leaders in Transforming Large Comprehensive High Schools

Simply carving up a large comprehensive high school into several smaller schools does not guarantee improvement. But Mr. Copland and Ms. Boatright find that key lessons garnered from numerous small-school conversions can guide school leaders through the cultural changes that must accompany the structural ones if small schools are to fulfill their potential. IN RARE contemplative moment, Steven Gering is scratching his head and thinking. Over the past 18 months, assistant principal Gering has been leading the effort to reshape massive suburban Mountlake Terrace High School into a collection of autonomous small schools, and his frenetic schedule has left him with little reflective time. The school now perches on the precipice of change. It is late July, and in a few short weeks Terrace's nearly 1,900 students will split into five new ninth- through 12th-grade schools of no more than 400 students, each with its own unique mission, goals, course offerings, faculty, and schedule. Gering and his colleagues continue to work out the remaining details for the transformation, including not-insignificant final decisions about exactly how each of the new small schools will be led. Pondering the question of leadership, Gering notes, We've changed our view of teacher leadership and administration. Small schools just take more leaders than large schools, more people to step up and provide the knowledge and skills we need at any particular moment. You've heard how it's important to have teachers as generalists in small schools. Well, we also need leaders as generalists. For school administrators and teachers, the process of change begun by Mountlake Terrace -- just one of numerous comprehensive high school conversion projects across the U.S. -- raises some fundamental questions for those seeking to create and lead a different kind of secondary school experience for America's young people. How should leadership in a small high school differ from leadership in a large one? What unique leadership opportunities do small schools offer? And what new challenges or old di-lemmas remain? Moreover, what leadership lessons can those who seek to transform large comprehensive high schools derive from the knowledge base that is emerging on small schools? What is certain, to Gering and others like him, is that leadership must adapt if the current movement to downsize high schools is ever to matter much. If educators can learn anything from more than two decades' worth of efforts to restructure schools, it is that structural changes alone are not enough to improve schools for the students who attend them or the professionals who work in them.1 Without key shifts in the emphasis and disposition of leadership, the new small schools that emerge from the transformed large schools run the risk of winding up simply as smaller versions of their former giant selves. Transforming the Behemoth Gering and his colleagues at Mountlake Terrace High School are among many secondary educators currently seeking to transform large comprehensive high schools into collections of smaller learning communities, a movement gaining momentum nationwide. Significant investments made in this reform strategy suggest that educators and policy makers place considerable stock in smaller learning communities as a way to improve schooling for students and teachers. Along with grants from the U.S. Department of Education totaling well over $145 million annually, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation initiatives have so far funneled some $375 million toward this end.2 Why are so many large high schools downsizing? progression of studies beginning in the late 1980s and continuing to date strongly suggests that small schools are more productive and effective than large ones. Reviews of research summarize the findings of such studies and the advantages of small schools for students.3 As one researcher summed it up, A large body of research in the affective and social realms overwhelmingly affirms the superiority of small schools. …