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Carbon capture by expanding temperate mangrove forests
Get PDFMangrove forests provide a wide range of ecosystem services that benefit both people and nature. While many countries have lost nearly 50 % of their mangroves in the past 50 years, Aotearoa New Zealand\u27s mangroves are rapidly expanding in many locations due to increased sediment inputs from land-use changes and urbanisation. In the Auckland region, where mangrove extent has increased 4.5-fold since 1940, we quantified the blue carbon sequestration benefits from seven mangrove expansion sites. Our results indicate that New Zealand\u27s mangroves sequester 86,000 t CO2 annually, with an additional 3,400 t CO2 sequestered in 2020 due to mangrove expansion. Specifically, mangrove carbon sequestration in the Auckland region has risen from 7,700 t CO2 yr−1 in 1940 to 34,600 t CO2 yr−1 in 2020 - equivalent to 50 % of the region\u27s current emissions from forestry, fishing, and mining. Although the expansion of New Zealand\u27s mangroves may impact perceived coastal amenity values, their role as significant carbon sinks is critical for mitigating global carbon emissions and supporting the country\u27s commitments to the Paris Agreement. However, like many other countries, New Zealand has yet to include mangrove carbon sequestration in its national policies and management strategies. To move forward, we recommend: 1) integrating blue carbon into the national greenhouse gas inventory; 2) monitoring mangrove expansion and its likely drivers; and 3) working with local communities to better understand conflicting socio-ecological values of expanding mangrove forests
Creating a new climate transition politics? Reflections on a Real Deal for Australia
Get PDFEconomic responses to climate change, such as just transitions and the Green New Deal (GND), have helped shift climate policy debate to focus on the economic dimensions of climate change. Yet these approaches have also been limited; they have not always delivered, they have left some groups behind and at times have polarised affected constituencies. This article argues that a key reason for this is that these agendas have primarily involved imposing solutions on communities without activating people\u27s participation in the perpetual cocreation of new social, political and economic solutions. Here, community and academic researchers reflect on the first five years of the Real Deal for Australia project and its effort to realise a community-led climate transition politics through its application of the ‘relational method’. This paper locates the Real Deal within the traditions of just transitions and the GND, and details the theories, methods and practices that it has built upon and involved, including in two place-based projects. It reflects on the intentions of the project and the learning that has occurred in the process, in particular from seeking to privilege the voices of Indigenous Peoples, form diverse community coalitions made up of strong interpersonal relationships between existing trade union, environmental, neighbourhood and faith-based groups, produce robust place-based agendas and buid effective actions for alternative futures
Determining the mental wellbeing of family day care educators in Australia
Get PDFFamily Day Care (FDC) is an essential service supporting Australian families requiring convenient, versatile, and quality education and care for their children. FDC educators’ mental wellbeing (MWB), often overlooked, is vital to ensure optimal education and care. This study aimed to gauge Australian FDC educators’ MWB and identify factors positively or negatively affecting MWB. A cross-sectional questionnaire measuring MWB, and eight predictor variables influencing MWB, was completed by Australian FDC educators. Structural equation modelling was utilised to ascertain relationships of the predictor variables on MWB. This study established MWB was lower than population norms (N = 292) and provided a model accounting for approximately 46% of overall contribution to MWB. Body appreciation and resilience were associated with positive MWB, while increased job stress and food insecurity negatively impacted MWB. This research can inform strategies focused on influential factors impacting FDC educator MWB, ensuring children continue to receive high quality education and care
If, and how, to group by ‘ability’– Considerations about class group formation
Get PDFMany schools choose to organise students into classes according to their perceived “ability”, despite evidence that the practice is not beneficial for students, overall. Class grouping by “ability” can exacerbate existing social inequalities by segregating students according to pre-existing educational advantage, which has unjustifiable consequences from a social justice perspective. There is little understanding of how decisions about class groupings are made, but such understanding is a crucial basis for exploring the persistent prevalence of this inequitable and exclusionary practice in Australian schools. This study characterises within-school processes used to decide how to group students into classes. Surveys were completed by n = 147 schools regarding their class organisational practices, with follow-up interviews conducted with n = 12 participants. Findings suggest that schools draw on prior achievement data to form class groups, but for different purposes. Other sources of information were considered when allocating students into classes, including student effort, behaviour, and parent requests. The schools did not change their grouping practices often, but there was continual consideration of how changes might better meet students’ needs. Further research might consider how schools can be supported in evaluating and revising their class grouping practices, including how students are allocated to class ability groups
Prevalence and risk factors of postpartum depression among postnatal mothers with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in a developing country
Get PDFBackground: Postpartum depression is a public health issue affecting both maternal well-being and child development. While it is the most common mental health disorder following childbirth, data on its prevalence and associated risk factors in developing countries, including Ghana, remains limited. Objectives: This study determined the prevalence of postpartum depression and identified its associated risk factors among pregnant women who developed hypertensive disorders of pregnancy at the Adabraka Polyclinic in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Design: This study was a hospital-based cross-sectional study. Methods: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 159 postnatal mothers who delivered between March 31, 2023 and May 31, 2023 at the Adabraka Polyclinic in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. The data collection instrument were developed to gather information on sociodemographic, psychosocial, obstetric, and newborn characteristics. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to investigate depressive symptoms in the mothers. Mothers with Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores above 12 or 13 were considered likely to be experiencing depression. Results: Out of the 159 women followed to term, 74 were diagnosed with postpartum depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale scores above 12 or 13), indicating a prevalence rate of 46.5%. The majority of these women were aged between 25 and 30 years (46.5%), engaged in informal occupations (52.2%), had multiple children (71.1%), pregnancies (69.2%), and normal blood pressure levels (62.3%). After adjusting for potential confounders in a multivariate logistic model, several factors were found to be independently associated with postpartum depression: informal occupation (adjusted odd ratio = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (0.02–0.62), p = 0.012), Ga ethnicity (adjusted odd ratio = 5.27, 95% confidence interval (1.25–22.11), p = 0.023), sub-optimal financial support from partner (adjusted odd ratio = 27.54, 95% confidence interval (4.63–164.00), p \u3c 0.001), and experience of cesarean section (adjusted odd ratio = 22.10, 95% confidence interval (3.90–125.08), p \u3c 0.001). Conclusion: Pregnant women with hypertensive disorders may face a heightened risk of experiencing postpartum depression. Timely recognition and intervention are vital for enhancing the health and welfare of both mothers and their children
Trajectories of plant-based dietary patterns and their sex-specific associations with cardiometabolic health among young Australian adults
Get PDFBackground: Plant-based diets are associated with favourable cardiovascular health markers. Although increasingly consumed among younger demographics, it is unclear how plant-based diet quality tracks from adolescence to young adulthood, and how this impacts cardiovascular health later in life. Thus, this study aimed to explore trajectories of plant-based dietary patterns from adolescence to young adulthood and investigate associations with cardiometabolic health markers in young Australian adults. Methods: Longitudinal data from 417 participants from the Raine Study were included. Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires conducted at 14, 20, and 27 years of were used to derive three plant-based diet quality index scores: an overall plant-based diet (PDI), a healthy plant-based diet (hPDI), and a less healthy plant-based diet (uPDI). Markers of cardiometabolic health included waist circumference, blood lipids, and blood pressure obtained at 14 and 28 years of age. Group-based trajectory modelling was used to describe plant-based diet quality trajectory groups from adolescence to young adulthood. Multivariate linear regression models were used to investigate associations with cardiovascular health markers. Results: Plant-based diet quality trajectory groups were different by sex, but remained relatively stable over the life stages, with participants remaining either above or below average diet quality at all time points. Associations with cardiovascular health outcomes differed between the sexes, with the hPDI having the greatest number of associations for females, and the uPDI for males. Being female with a higher hPDI score was associated with lower insulin (β = -1.11 (95% CI -2.12, -0.09)), HOMA-IR (β = -0.25 (95% CI -0.48, -0.01)), systolic blood pressure (β = -2.75 (95% CI -5.31, -0.19)), and hs-CRP (β = -1.53 (95% CI -2.82, -0.23)), and higher HDL-cholesterol (β = 0.13 (95% CI -0.03, 0.23)) compared to females with lower hPDI scores. Being male in the higher scoring uPDI group was associated with higher waist circumference (β = 3.12 (95% CI 0.61, 5.63)), waist-to-height ratio (β = 0.02 (95% CI 0.01, 0.03)), insulin (β = 1.54 (95% CI 0.33, 2.76)), HOMA-IR (β = 0.35 (95% CI 0.07, 0.63)), and hypertension status (β = 6.60 (95% CI 1.04, 42.00)) when compared to the lower scoring uPDI group. Conclusions: This study provides new insights into how plant-based diets track across adolescence into adulthood, impacting on cardiometabolic risk factors differently for males and females. Findings highlight the importance of early sex-specific interventions in adolescence to reduce future risk of cardiovascular-disease
Translating advocacy into action: Exploring oncology healthcare professionals’ awareness and use of the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia position statement on exercise in cancer care
Get PDFPurpose: The Clinical Oncology Society of Australia (COSA) position statement on exercise in cancer care encourages all healthcare professionals to discuss, recommend, and refer people with cancer to exercise; however, use of these recommendations in practice is unknown. Methods: Oncology healthcare professionals working in Australia were invited to complete a cross-sectional online survey that assessed contextual factors that influence implementation of COSA exercise guidance in cancer care, based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Results: We received 133 survey responses. Most were women (74%), nurses (35%), or oncologists (26%), involved in cancer care for \u3e 10 years (63%), and in a public hospital setting (69%). Most participants agreed that exercise is beneficial (94%) and the COSA recommendations would positively influence patients’ exercise behaviours (94%). However, only 35% routinely apply COSA recommendations in practice, and only 35% believe they are the best person to provide exercise support. Patient-level barriers included needing additional support to access exercise (92%), most commonly financial (74%). Organisational-level barriers included a lack of dedicated resources to support delivering exercise guidance (69%), and not believing providing exercise guidance is an important part of their role (51%). Only 24% agreed their organisation revised practice based on the COSA recommendations. Conclusion: Despite most oncology healthcare professionals agreeing that exercise is beneficial, and that the COSA recommendations are important for patients, only a minority actually apply the recommendations in their practice. Targeted implementation efforts are needed to facilitate use of COSA exercise guidance in clinical practice
Evaluation of the wound healing and anti-microbial activity of hydroethanolic extracts of young and old leaves of Vernonia amygdalina Delile
Get PDFBackground: Vernonia amygdalina Delile (VA) has been reported as an important herb for the management of wound in traditional medical settings. However, the evaluation of the wound healing and antimicrobial effect of the young and old leaves of VA is lacking. Objective This study sought to determine the cutaneous wound healing and in vitro anti-microbial activities of the young and old leaf extracts of VA. Methods Mineral elements that aid in wound healing and vitamin C levels were evaluated in the young and old leaves of VA. Phytochemical analysis of the hydroethanolic leaf extracts of the young leaves (HEthYL) and the old leaves (HEthOL) of VA was done via HPLC. The antimicrobial activity (zone of inhibition and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)) was determined for both HEthYL and HEthOL against selected gram-negative bacilli, namely, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Escherichia coli. For cutaneous wound healing assessment, Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups of five each and excision wounds created on the dorsal part of their body. Treatment by topical application of ointments produced from hydroethanolic extracts of the young (Osingle bondHEthYL) and the old (Osingle bondHEthOL) leaves was evaluated, together with the positive (PC) and negative (NC) control groups. Histological examination, pro-inflammatory (IL-1β) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokine levels post-wounding were determined. Results The amounts of Copper (Cu), iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn) and vitamin C were significantly different (P \u3c 0.05) when the young was compared to the old, dried leaves. HPLC analysis revealed similar but wide variability of phytochemical content in both HEthYL and HEthOL. The test isolates were highly susceptible to HEthYL than HEthOL; with HEthYL showing a significantly lower MIC (P \u3c 0.001) than HEthOL. The percentage wound closure for the Osingle bondHEthYL and PC (Penicillin ointments) at day 15 post-wounding was greater (P \u3c 0.05) than in the NC group (treatment naïve). IL-1β and IL-10 levels in the treated groups were significantly lower (P \u3c 0.05) compared to the NC group at the wound sites. Histological evaluation revealed higher tissue regenerative activity of the Osingle bondHEthYL group at wound site compared with the other treated groups. Conclusion The formulated ointments of ethanolic leaf extracts of VA were found to possess a significant wound healing property, particularly the Osingle bondHEthYL exhibited high wound closure compared to the Osingle bondHEthOL. The potent antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity of the young leaves could be a contributing factor to the wound healing efficacy of its ointment
Mining waste materials in road construction
Get PDFResource depletion and environmental degradation have resulted from the substantial increase in the use of natural aggregates and construction materials brought on by the growing demand for infrastructure development. Road building using mining waste has become a viable substitute that reduces the buildup of industrial waste while providing ecological and economic advantages. In order to assess the appropriateness of several mining waste materials for use in road building, this study investigates their engineering characteristics. These materials include slag, fly ash, tailings, waste rock, and overburden. To ensure long-term performance in pavement applications, this study evaluates their tensile and compressive strength, resistance to abrasion, durability under freeze–thaw cycles, and chemical stability. This review highlights the potential of mining waste materials as sustainable alternatives in road construction. Waste rock and slag exhibit excellent mechanical strength and durability, making them suitable for high-traffic pavements. Although fly ash and tailings require stabilization, their pozzolanic properties enhance subgrade reinforcement and soil stabilization. Properly processed overburden materials are viable for subbase and embankment applications. By promoting the reuse of mining waste, this study supports landfill reduction, carbon emission mitigation, and circular economy principles. Overall, mining byproducts present a cost-effective and environmentally responsible alternative to conventional construction materials. To support broader implementation, further efforts are needed to improve stabilization techniques, monitor long-term field performance, and establish effective policy frameworks
Effects of Generative Reflection on the Professional Development of Trainee Teachers: Social Representations Emerging from Practicum Tutorials
Get PDFAlthough reflection is recognized as a driving force for teachers\u27 professional development, which is the reason for its incorporation into Initial Teacher Education (ITE), there is still little clarity about its effects on teachers\u27 professional development. This article seeks to understand the Social Representations (SR) of tutors and practitioners of the IDF of two Chilean universities, on the effects of reflection, promoted in tutorials and its link with the strategies used to promote it. Individual interviews were conducted with four dyads -tutor and pre-service teacher-, and group interviews with tutors and interns. The analysis was inspired by Grounded Theory. The findings show SR around pregenerative effects: in professional self-awareness, material changes in practices, and in the professional identity of pre-service teachers, without associating these effects to concrete strategies. There is evidence of weakness in the promotion of generative effects, linked to new professional knowledge and transformation of practice