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‘They burn so bright whilst you can only wonder why’. Stories at the intersection of social class, capital and information literacy- a collaborative autoethnography.
Get PDFIn this article we connect critical librarianship and its practices of information literacy (IL) with working-class experiences of higher education (HE). Although the research literature and professional body of knowledge of critical information literacy (CIL), is one of the most theoretically-developed areas of wider critical librarianship (Critlib) movement, working-class knowledge and experiences remain underrepresented.One reason for this is that the values, behaviour and assumptions of library and HE workers are shaped by a HE system which inculcates middle-class values and cultural capitals within students, and stigmatises working-class students as lacking or in deficit. Hegemonic, or non-critical, IL proselytises middle-class values and assumptions about academic practices and skills development including the notion of an ideal student with behaviour and markers of identity which reflect those most privileged by wider society. In contrast CIL, framed as the socially-just practice of IL is theoretically well-placed to support working-class library workers in destabilising this alongside middle-class accomplices.Employing Yosso’s (2005) concept of community and cultural wealth (CCW), we analyse how library workers can recognise working-class cultural wealth within the context of CIL and wider working practices. As such narrative accounts are lacking in the literature, we utilise collaborative autoethnography (CAE) (Chang et al., 2013) to consider and interpret our own experiences of libraries when we were university students ourselves, and more recently as HE workers of working-class heritage
The Ghost in Care: Mothers’ Experiences of Mental Health and Involvement with Services Following Separation from their Child(ren)
Get PDFQuantifying the carbon benefits of ending bottom trawling
Get PDFSala, et al. 1 suggest that seafloor disturbance by industrial trawlers and dredgers results in 0.58 to 1.47 Pg of aqueous CO2 emissions annually, owing to increased organic carbon mineralisation in sediments after trawling. We agree that bottom trawling disrupts natural carbon flows in seabed ecosystems due to sediment disturbance, resuspension and changes in the biological community and that it is important to estimate the magnitude of this effect. We disagree however that their assessment represents a ‘best estimate’. Firstly, they critically assume that organic carbon in undisturbed sediment is inert, and that only disturbance by trawling remineralises organic carbon, an assumption at odds with decades of geochemical research. Secondly, they greatly overestimate the volume of sediment where carbon is mineralised after trawling. Thirdly, they ignore secondary effects, such as the removal of bioturbating benthic fauna and sedimentary nutrient release, which could lead to more preservation and production of organic carbon. Together these issues result in an upward bias in the estimated CO2 emissions by one or more orders of magnitude
Impact of mangrove forest structure and landscape on macroplastics capture
Get PDFComplex networks of above-ground roots and trunks make mangrove forests trap plastic litter. We tested how macroplastics relate to tree biomass, root abundance, mangrove geomorphology and river proximity, surveying landward and seaward margins of seven forests in the Philippines, a global hotspot for marine plastic pollution. Macroplastics were abundant (mean±s.e.: 1.1±0.22 items m-2; range: 0.05±0.05 to 3.79±1.91), greatest at the landward zone (mean±s.e.: 1.60±0.41 m-2) and dominated by land-derived items (sachets, bags), of which 99% were produced in the Philippines. Plastic abundance increased with proximity to river mouths, with root abundance only weakly influencing plastic weight and area. Tree biomass was unimportant. The study confirms rivers are a major pathway for marine plastic pollution, with mangrove roots, rather than tree density, are the biological attribute that regulate litter retention. The results suggest land-based waste management that prevent plastics entering rivers will reduce marine plastic pollution in Southeast Asi
Local human impacts disrupt depth-dependent zonation of tropical reef fish communities
Get PDFThe influence of depth and associated gradients in light, nutrients and plankton on the ecological organization of tropical reef communities was first described over six decades ago but remains untested across broad geographies. During this time humans have become the dominant driver of planetary change, requiring that we revisit historic ecological paradigms to ensure they capture the dynamics of contemporary ecological systems. Analysing >5,500 in-water reef fish surveys between 0 and 30 m depth on reef slopes of 35 islands across the Pacific, we assess whether a depth gradient consistently predicts variation in reef fish biomass. We reveal predictable ecological organization at unpopulated locations, with increased biomass of planktivores and piscivores and decreased primary consumer biomass with increasing depth. Bathymetric steepness also had a striking influence on biomass patterns, primarily for planktivores, emphasizing potential links between local hydrodynamics and the upslope propagation of pelagic subsidies to the shallows. However, signals of resource-driven change in fish biomass with depth were altered or lost for populated islands, probably due to depleted fish biomass baselines. While principles of depth zonation broadly held, our findings expose limitations of the paradigm for predicting ecological dynamics where human impacts confound connections between ecological communities and their surrounding environment. [Abstract copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).
Covid and the coalfield: Covid-19 vaccine hesitance in Wales and Appalachia
Get PDFBackgroundVaccine hesitancy is a barrier to Covid-19 vaccine uptake and displays a social gradient, compounding health disparities. While social gradients are a vital concept in health, they flatten distinctions between types of disadvantaged community. This paper focuses on vaccine hesitance in post-industrial and de-industrialising coalfields. The social consequences of the decline of coal mining may present barriers to vaccine uptake.MethodsWe ran parallel surveys in Wales (N=4187) and US states overlapping with central Appalachia (N=4864), to examine whether vaccine attitudes and uptake varied between areas with different coal mining histories. These surveys were accompanied by qualitative interviews of 36 residents of these coalfields to explore vaccination decisions and triangulate with survey data. ResultsFactor analysis identified four axes of attitudes in the survey data: vaccine confidence, covid scepticism, vaccine individualism, and concerned confusion. These themes were echoed in the interviews. Vaccine confidence was lower; and covid scepticism, vaccine individualism, and concerned confusion higher, in residents of areas of Wales with greater mining extent and where pits closed during certain periods. Residents of former US coal counties had lower vaccine confidence and higher covid scepticism, while those in current coal counties had greater vaccine individualism and concerned confusion. In former US coal counties and Welsh areas where pits closed since 1980, vaccine uptake was lower. Differences could not be explained by respondents’ income and education. In the interviews, norms of social solidarity were often invoked by vaccinated respondents, while unvaccinated respondents did not frame decisions in the context of the industrial history of their areas.DiscussionThe legacy of coal-mining’s decline presents barriers to public health campaigns. We show evidence of this across two historically significant coalfields. Attention is needed to avert negative public health consequences of global energy transition. <br/
Process evaluation findings of the CHARMING intervention: exploring the involvement of community- and peer role models within a school-based physical activity intervention
Get PDFAbstractPurposeThis study explored the involvement of community- and peer role models within the CHARMING (CHoosing Active Role Models to INspire Girls) intervention, aiming to increase and sustain physical activity among 9–10-year-old girls. CHARMING involves community role models delivering different 1-hour weekly taster physical activities with peer role models (e.g., older girls from secondary schools) supporting. Sessions take place after-school on the primary school premises over 6-weeks. The main research questions are i) Is it feasible and acceptable to recruit role models? and ii) What are the perceived barriers and facilitators to inclusion of peer role models within the intervention? This innovative research uses a theory-informed intervention which adopts a school-community partnership approach.MethodsA mixed methods process evaluation was embedded within a larger feasibility study, involving three secondary schools and four adjoining primary schools in South Wales, United Kingdom. One-to-one interviews were conducted with teachers (N = 10) across the seven schools and community role models (N = 10). Focus groups were conducted with 18 peer role models and 31 girls aged 9-10-years who participated in the intervention. Primary school teachers kept observation logs of each intervention session. A researcher completed observation logs of two random sessions per school. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis with a combined deductive and inductive coding approach. Observation data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Data were triangulated and comparative analyses conducted across schools.ResultsTwenty-three peer role models (aged 12-16-years) and 16 community role models participated in intervention delivery. Overall, the inclusion of both types of role models was shown as acceptable and feasible within the CHARMING intervention. Six themes were identified during analyses; reach and access, communication, logistics, existing systems, interpersonal relationships, and perceived impacts. Themes were intertwined across the barriers and facilitators of recruitment and implementation. Observation data highlighted intervention components which were not implemented consistently by role models. Areas for future improvement were highlighted.ConclusionsFindings can be used to optimise the CHARMING intervention and inform wider interventions or policies employing several role models across settings to promote physical activity among children
A “Bundle of Care” to Improve Anticoagulation Control in Patients Receiving Warfarin in Uganda and South Africa: Protocol for an Implementation Study
Get PDFBackground:The quality of warfarin anticoagulation among Sub-Saharan African patients is suboptimal. This is due to several factors, including a lack of standardized dosing algorithms, difficulty in providing timely international normalized ratio (INR) results, a lack of patient feedback on their experiences with treatment, a lack of education on adherence, and inadequate knowledge and training of health care workers. Low quality of warfarin anticoagulation, expressed as time in therapeutic range (TTR), is associated with higher adverse event rates, including bleeding and thrombosis, and ultimately, increased morbidity and mortality. Processes and interventions that improve this situation are urgently needed.Objective:This study aims to evaluate the implementation of the “warfarin bundle,” a package of interventions to improve the quality of anticoagulation and thereby clinical outcomes. The primary outcome for this study is TTR over the initial 3 months of warfarin therapy.Methods:Patients aged 18 years or older who are newly initiated on warfarin for venous thromboembolism, atrial fibrillation, or valvular heart disease will be enrolled and followed up for 3 months at clinics in Cape Town, South Africa, and Kampala, Uganda, where the warfarin bundle is implemented. A retrospective review of the clinical records of patients on warfarin treatment before implementation (controls) will be used for comparison. This study uses a mixed methods approach of the implementation of patient- and process-centered activities to improve the quality of anticoagulation. Patient-centered activities include the use of clinical dosing algorithms, adherence support, and root cause analysis, whereas process-centered activities include point-of-care INR testing, staff training, and patient education and training. We will assess the impact of these interventions by comparing the TTR and safety outcomes across the 2 groups, as well as the cost-effectiveness and acceptability of the package.Results:We started recruitment in June 2021 and stopped in August 2022, having recruited 167 participants. We obtained ethics approval from the University of Cape Town Faculty of Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee, the Provincial Health Research Committees in South Africa, the Joint Clinical Research Centre Institutional Review Board, Kampala, and the University of Liverpool Research Ethics Committee. As of February 2023, data cleaning and formal analysis are underway. We expect to publish the full results by December 2023.Conclusions:We anticipate that the “bundle of care,” which includes a clinical algorithm to guide individualized dosing of warfarin, will improve INR control and TTR of patients in Uganda and South Africa. We will use these findings to design a larger, multisite clinical trial across several Sub-Saharan African countries
Parental technoference and adolescents’ mental health and violent behaviour: a scoping review
Get PDFPurposeThe term ‘technoference’ refers to habitual interferences and disruptions within interpersonal relationships or time spent together due to use of electronic devices. Emerging evidence suggests associations between parental technoference and young people’s mental health and violent behaviours. This scoping review sought to summarise the existing literature.MethodsA scoping review was undertaken across six databases (APA PsycINFO, MEDLINE, ASSIA, ERIC, Social Sciences Premium Collection, SciTech Premium). Searches included articles examining the association between parental technoference and adolescent mental health and violent behaviours. All included studies provided empirical findings.ResultsSearches retrieved 382 articles, of which 13 articles met the eligibility criteria. A narrative approach was applied to synthesise the eligible findings. Across all studies, adolescent perceptions of parental technoference were negatively associated to adolescent mental health and positively related to adolescent violent behaviours. Parental cohesion and mental health were identified as significant mediating factors.ConclusionFindings suggest that parents should be aware of the environment in which they use electronic devices as their use can potentially, directly and indirectly, influence adolescent mental health and violent behaviours. Further research into the potential caveats of parental technoference could support the development of evidence-informed guidelines for parental management of electronic devices
Amazonian secondary forests are greatly reducing fragmentation and edge exposure in old-growth forests
Get PDFRestoration of tropical landscapes through the expansion of secondary forests is crucial for climate change mitigation and offers co-benefits for biodiversity. However, the strength of these benefits is influenced by the position of these secondary forests within the landscape. Recovery of both carbon stocks and biodiversity in secondary forests are enhanced by proximity to old-growth forests, and old-growth forests may benefit from secondary forests in return through buffering of edge effects and reduced fragmentation. However, to date there has been no biome-wide assessment of secondary forest location relative to old-growth forests. We mapped Amazonian secondary forests and explored their proximity to old-growth forests of different conditions. We then calculated the extent to which secondary forests buffer old-growth edge forest