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Assessing physicians\u27 agreement and the completeness of the decision aid ‘arriba Diabetes’: A cross-sectional study
Get PDFShifting attention: Assessing antennular ‘gaze’ in the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus
Get PDFAttention (focused information gathering) is crucial for many cognitive processes. Traditionally dichotomised as reflexive or voluntary, behavioural research often relies on vision for assessments of attention. However, invertebrate information acquisition often utilises chemosensation or mechanosensation, potentially limiting the efficacy of a vision-based approach. We examined attention in Pagurus bernhardus hermit crabs, using antennules (the crustacean first antennae) as indicators of attentional shifts. Considering a change in flicking direction as analogous to a shift in gaze, we examined if hermit crabs show evidence of reflexive or voluntary attention. We exposed crabs to a chemosensory stimulus while manipulating factors influencing vulnerability (i.e., shell presence and lighting conditions). We aimed to examine how vulnerability influences attention by modifying signal salience (the value of the information contained in a stimulus) and individual vigilance (the ability to monitor environmental changes). Given that attention varies with stimulus importance and individual condition, we predicted that antennule shift likelihood, latency, and duration would vary by stimulus type and both intrinsic (shell presence) and extrinsic (light regime) vulnerability. We found that attention can be assessed by monitoring the antennular ‘gaze’ or direction of antennule pointing. Crab vulnerability alters patterns of reflexive attention, modifying patterns of signal salience and individual vigilance. Vulnerability also affected attention duration, demonstrating that hermit crabs may adjust attention based on context, indicative of voluntary attention. This study highlights the utility of a novel approach to assess attention in invertebrates, especially those reliant on chemosensory cues for behavioural decisions and cognitive processes essential to species’ fitness
Using Social Robots to Deliver Behaviour Change Interventions
Get PDFThe acceleration of technology advancements has resulted in the growth of digital solutions to support with behaviour change in a wide range of domains. Social robots have been explored for their feasibility as agents to deliver established and novel talk-based person-centred behaviour change interventions, such as Motivational Interviewing and Functional Imagery Training (FIT), due to their interactive design and a way to support the growing pressures on health sectors. This thesis builds on previous feasibility work but explores the use of the social robots to support students in changing procrastination behaviours. There is a high prevalence of reported procrastination in students, despite the various consequences from increased stress and impact on mental health. The thesis initially explores the behaviours and domain of procrastination to support with the development of a FIT intervention that focuses on eliciting motivation to change behaviours while equipping people with imagery skills to maintain the motivation for change (Chapter 4). Chapter 5 includes two studies exploring social robots delivering FIT. Study one compared the differences in elicited behaviour change, motivation and confidence between a human therapist and robot delivering the same intervention over a four-week period. In the second study, to explore the importance of digital personalised talk-based therapy, a simple linear FIT intervention was compared to a more personalised approach. For both four-week trials, in addition to the change in motivation and procrastination, the therapeutic alliance formed was compared and the usability and intentions to use the robot in the future was measured. Due to the importance of eliciting change talk for successful behaviour change, the conversations between therapist and client were analysed for change and sustain talk to compare the effectiveness of the intervention and the mode of delivery (Chapter 6). This thesis also explores the perceptions of health professionals towards the use of social robots in the field of talk-based therapy after interacting with a social robot to support with future robot development and integration. To conclude, the current challenges faced with robot delivery and further research suggestions are made to ensure the future success of social robots as delivery agents for delivering behaviour change interventions
Unravelling the ecological trade-offs in behavioural and physiological sexual traits
Get PDFAnimals experience temporally and spatially heterogeneous environments throughout their lives. Therefore, individuals that are able to plastically adjust their behaviour to the current environment, are able to maximise their fitness. These behavioural adjustments are particularly important where there are trade-offs between investment in different life-history traits. Trade-offs between reproduction and survival have been widely documented, in addition to a body of evidence for trade-offs between mating related traits. How an individual adjusts their mating behaviour in response to their social and biotic environments are important aspects of selection. Changes in the social environment, including sex ratio or population density changes, will have direct impacts on the risk of mate competition and the opportunity for mate choice. At the same time, biotic environmental changes in the environment could have impacts on nutritional availability, and therefore the condition state of individuals.In Drosophila melanogaster, males have been repeatedly observed to increase their copulation duration, when they perceive there to be a risk of sperm competition. Increasing copulation duration confers a benefit during sperm competition, yet males are adjusting their behaviour only in response to certain contexts. This suggests the trait is costly, and that males are forced into a trade-off to enable its expression. To further explore these effects, in chapter two, I assessed the interplay between two social factors, sex ratio and density, and the nutritional composition of the male rearing environment, to determine how the variation in these factors may impact reproductive behaviours and fitness outcomes. Nutritional restriction lowers individual quality, and so should also increase the expression of trade-offs between traits, due to their impaired energy reserves. I found no clear directional response across the sex ratio, density and nutritional treatments. However, by assessing the correlations between dependent variables, I found that longer mating durations were associated with fewer viable offspring and lower hatching success. Low-quality males took longer to initiate mating, providing evidence that nutritionally restricted males may be investing less in courtship, and so are less attractive to females. The effects of sperm competition risk on copulation duration were not found in this experiment, but it is possible the physical separation of the focal male inhibited the sensory cues of their rivals. Alternatively, the previously-observed changes in copulation duration may not be consistent between populations and may be an artefact of selection under laboratory rearing.Chapter three further investigated the mating behavioural response of males to sperm competition risk, removing the physical separation of the focal male, inaddition to varying the quality of both males and females, in a fully factorial design. Males who had not been pre-exposed to sperm competition risk were faster to initiate courtship, had a longer average courtship bout duration, and were quicker to begin mating. Whereas males who had been pre-exposed to sperm competition risk initiated more total courtship bouts, and, when males were also high-quality, performed more courtship bouts per minute. However, these findings appear to be highly influenced by increased output in pairings with low-quality females. Low-quality females produced significantly fewer viable offspring, regardless of their mate’s quality. Males pre-exposed to sperm competition risk were quicker to mate with high-quality females. Additionally, high-quality females were significantly more likely to mate overall. However, this is the only evidence of males positively increasing investment when courting high-quality females. Males pre-exposed to sperm competition significantly increased their mating duration, adding to a significant body of evidence demonstrating males plastically adjust this trait in response to sperm competition risk. Reduced mating latency was significantly associated with more courtship bouts per minute, suggesting females prefer higher courtship intensity, as opposed to longer courtship bout length. There appeared to be evidence that low-quality males were less able to maintain their level of courtship when compared to high-quality males, in some instances.Chapter four explored inter-individual differences in activity and found differences in movement frequency, which were consistent over time and measures. As consistent inter-individual differences in behavioural responses to the environment can be defined as personality, this chapter provides evidence of personality in D.melanogaster. In this chapter I further investigated the correlation between personality type and reproductive traits, in addition to the effect of male social environment (isolated, or pre-exposed to sperm competition risk). There was no effect of behaviour type on any of the measured reproductive traits. Males not pre-exposed to sperm competition risk were both quicker to initiate courtship, and had a higher hatching success rate, out-performing males pre-exposed to sperm competition risk, overall. As the male pre-exposed to sperm will likely have been energy depleted, due to the associated costs on fighting with rival males, this finding may represent trade-offs between investing in male-male competition and mating related traits.Chapter five investigated the different temporal measures of courtship in D. melanogaster, to provide further understanding of the bout and pause structure, as well as their effects on fitness outcomes. Beneficial fitness outcomes are not associated with a higher number of total courtship bouts, or longer courtship duration. Instead, males that performed more bouts per minute, and had shorter pauses between bouts, had a shorter mating latency, suggesting that females prefer males that court with high intensity. Males that initiated more courtship bouts per minute had shorter pauses between their final four courtship bouts, had shorter total gaps between courtship bouts, overall, and had a higher number of viable eggs. An individual’s ability to court intensely, with shorter gaps, and more bouts per minute, sustained through the entirety of courtship, appears to be an honest signal of male quality, resulting in direct fitness benefits. Males that were not pre-exposed to sperm competition were faster to initiate courtship and appear to invest more heavily in courtship, resulting in these males being more likely to secure a mating. This may be due to these males being reared in social isolation, therefore perceiving the likelihood of encountering further mates to be minimal, and consequently investing heavily in this interaction as a strategy to increase their fitness.This thesis has found evidence of personality in D. melanogaster, where future research should further investigate the relationship between behaviour type and reproductive traits. Additionally, this study highlights the suitability of this model system to further explore the pace-of-life syndrome hypothesis due to the finding of personality in this species, in addition to a wealth of evidence of life-history trade-offs. I found inconsistent support for the increase in mating duration with risk of sperm competition. Future work should explore the variation in this behaviour, across different strains and species to ascertain its function and fitness implications. Finally, courtship intensity appears to be an honest signal of male quality, and there appears to be a trade-off with investment in male-male competition. This thesis provides evidence that despite D. melanogaster being a model organism, many of their behaviours are varied and complex, and understanding this variation is vital to when extrapolating findings to other taxa or the evolutionary mechanisms more broadly
Distribution of alkylamines in surface waters around the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea
Get PDFAlkylamines, volatile organic nitrogen compounds with low molecular weight, are present in the surface ocean and participate in the marine biogeochemical nitrogen cycle, atmospheric chemistry and cloud formation. Alkylamines have been detected in polar regions, suggesting that these areas constitute emission hotspots of these compounds. However, knowledge of the sea surface distribution patterns and factors modulating alkylamines remain limited due to their high reactivity and low concentrations, which hamper accurate measurements. We investigated the presence and distribution of alkylamines in seawaters around the Antarctic Peninsula and the northern Weddell Sea during the late austral summer and explored their potential links to marine microbiota. Alkylamines were ubiquitous in all analysed samples, accounting for ∼ 2 % of the dissolved and particulate organic nitrogen pool. The only particulate form found was trimethylamine (TMA), detected for the first time in Antarctic waters at concentrations of 9.7 ± 4.6 nM. We efficiently measured dissolved trimethylamine (TMA, 20.9 ± 15.2 nM), dimethylamine (DMA, 32.3 ± 32.7 nM) and diethylamine (DEA, 7.2 ± 1.7 nM) across the surveyed area, while dissolved monomethylamine (MMA, 12.7 ± 0.1 nM) remained below the detection limit in most samples. Variations in alkylamine concentrations did not align with the overall phytoplankton biomass but with specific biological components. TMA was predominantly associated with, and released from, nanophytoplankton. DMA was likely produced by the degradation of TMA or trimethylamine oxide by nanophytoplankton cells or associated heterotrophic bacteria. The sources of DEA remain unclear but were suggestive of a distinct biogeochemical pathway from those of TMA and DMA. MMA is thought to primarily originate from bacterial degradation of nitrogen-based osmolytes or amino acids, but detection in too few samples precluded any robust association with microbiota. This study reveals that volatile alkylamines are widespread in Antarctic surface waters, where they are primarily sourced from nanophytoplankton cells and associated heterotrophic bacteria and protists
From Recognition to Action: Surf-Driven Governance in the Manly and Freshwater World Surfing Reserve
Get PDFExecutive summary This report presents findings from a focus group with members of the Manly and Freshwater World Surfing Reserve (WSR) Local Stewardship Council. Participants reflected on changes over the past decade and imagined future pathways for the WSR. Discussions revealed a strong sense of community pride and renewed momentum following the WSR’s relaunch, which has reconnected previously fragmented grassroots efforts.Key challenges identified included surf crowding, political inertia, water pollution, and a lack of formal governance mechanisms. While engagement with the local Council has improved, participants stressed the need for more consistent follow-through, youth inclusion, and funding security. Concerns were also raised about over development and the erosion of surf culture.Despite these barriers, participants envisioned the Manly and Freshwater WSR as a vibrant example of inclusive, community-led ocean governance. They emphasised the power of place-based education, creative outreach, and inter-generational learning. Recommendations include formalising links with local government, introducing learner surf zones, expanding environmental education, and strengthening youth engagement. With the right support, Manly and Freshwater’s WSR could evolve into a model of surf-based stewardship and coastal transformation
Genomic insights and phenotypic characterisation of three multidrug resistant Cupriavidus strains from the cystic fibrosis lung
Get PDFAimsWe aimed to investigate phenotypic and genomic traits of three Cupriavidus spp. isolates recovered from people with cystic fibrosis (PWCF). These bacteria are recognised as emerging pathogens in PWCF.Methods and ResultsUsing short and long sequencing reads, we assembled three hybrid complete genomes for the genus Cupriavidus, adding to the 45 published currently, describing multipartite genomes and plasmids. The isolates likely represent three different species, and they carry a cumulative total of 30 ARGs with high homology to well-characterised resistance determinants from other bacteria. Multidrug resistance to antibiotics used in CF management was observed in all three isolates. However, two treatments were active across all isolates: cefotaxime and piperacillin/tazobactam. Biofilm formation was only seen at physiological temperatures (37°C) and lost at 20°C and all isolates had low lethality in Galleria mellonella larvae. Isolates demonstrated variable motility, with one non-motile isolate carrying a disrupted flhD transcriptional regulator, abolishing flagella expression.ConclusionsOur Cupriavidus spp. isolates showed considerable genomic and phenotypic variability that may impact their virulence and treatment in PWCF, where multidrug resistance will negate treatments and biofilm formation and motility play key roles in infection establishment, as seen in CF pathogens like P. aeruginosa. More detailed investigation of clinical Cupriavidus isolates is needed for full understanding of the risk they pose to PWCF
Building Back Greener: Accelerating Low-Carbon Material Adoption in the UK Building Industry
Get PDFThe escalating global climate crisis presents a critical challenge for governments, policymakers, civic society organizations, and marketers alike (Carvalho, 2022; Gopaldas, 2015). Experts predict that by the end of the century, global average temperatures could rise between 1–1.5°C with significant reductions in carbon emissions, or as high as 4.5–5°C if current emission levels persist (González, 2025). Such temperature increases would lead to rising sea levels, posing severe risks to islands, coastal communities, and marine ecosystems (González, 2025). Recognizing the urgency of this issue, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has taken proactive measures to engage diverse stakeholders. Through its annual Conference of the Parties (COP) summits, the UNFCCC seeks to drive coordinated global climate action, aligning with Goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2015)
Twenty-five year trend in antipsychotic medication prescribing in England: challenges and opportunities
Get PDFBackgroundAntipsychotics are primarily indicated for psychotic disorders. There is increasing concern regarding their potential overuse for other conditions.AimsTo examine the change in the number of community prescriptions and corresponding costs for antipsychotics per head of population over 25 years (1998–2022) in England.MethodThe data for 1998–2022 were obtained from two separate resources from the OpenPrescribing database: from 1998 to 2016 from their long-term trends data-set; and for 2017–2022 from the monthly medication prescribing data. The relevant British National Formulary subcategories 4.2.1 ‘antipsychotic drugs’ and 4.2.2 ‘antipsychotic depot injections’ were selected. The annual differences in prescriptions and the mean average annual increase were calculated. Scatter plots to visualise the yearly trend and Spearman testing to assess the strength of the correlations were done. The total annual costs of these medications were calculated for this time period.ResultsThe annual mean increase in the number of prescriptions was 287 548 in raw numbers and 4.27 per 1000 population. There is a statistically significant and strong positive relationship between time and the prescriptions of antipsychotics per 1000 population (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.995, P ≤ 0.001). This increasing trend is driven by the increase in oral antipsychotic drug prescriptions over time (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.995, P ≤ 0.001). Antipsychotic drug costs increased until 2011, reduced until 2016 and rose again during 2020–2022.ConclusionsThis analysis suggests a worrying increasing trend in antipsychotic medication prescribing. Potential causal factors include off-licence use. Clinical practice and research implications are discussed
Compensation, Horizontal Diffusion, and Bottom-Up Pathways: State Climate Policies in the United States and Australia
No full textRecent years have seen growing interest in subnational governments as arenas of climate governance, but limited systematic research exists on the extent, conditions, or pathways through which subnational climate policies can influence, or compensate for deficits in, national policies. This article addresses this gap by examining options for states to influence climate policy in the United States and Australia, two countries where federal governments have made limited progress in developing national climate policies. As an analytical framework, it conceives a typology of state government approaches to climate policy that distinguishes among compensating, horizontal diffusion, and bottom‐up pathways. It then uses the typology to analyze a selection of six policy areas with large potential effects on greenhouse gas emissions in which states have acted: renewable energy and carbon pricing (United States and Australia); transportation (United States); and climate change acts (Australia). Evidence from the policy case studies reveals that numerous factors have influenced the impact of state climate policies on policy adoption by other states and by the federal government: renewable energy resources; the size of costs and degree of business acceptance; the extent of co‐benefits; election results; the degree of bipartisan support; partisan alignments; individual leadership by government officials; and state government authority and state‐federal coordinative institutions. The article concludes with insights for state policymakers on how policy design and the utilization of windows of opportunity can enhance the influence and impact of state climate policies in federal systems