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The development of a novel self-report measure of problematic media use in children aged five to nine years.
No full textThere is growing concern in the research literature, popular media and the public about the potential negative impacts of device use on young children. Indeed, current research suggests that high, excessive or ‘problematic’ levels of digital media use have negative impacts across child health and development. However, there are several methodological barriers to establishing consistent and significant research findings. Recent reviews have highlighted that one significant barrier is the lack of self-report measures to assess children’s perspectives of their device overuse. Current assumptions across the literature reflect beliefs that young children (under 10 years) are incapable, or at best unreliable reporters of their experiences. These assumptions exist despite emerging evidence that young children are capable self-reporters. Consequently, existing research has completely omitted the perspectives of children about their device use.
To address this methodological gap in the literature, this thesis aimed to develop a novel self-report measure of problematic media use (PMU) behaviours in children aged between 5-9 years. The development of this new measure, the Problematic Media Use Animated Measure –Self-Report (PMUAM-SR), consisted of four phases involving children and adult participants. In Phase 1 children aged 5-9 (n=23) were split into small focus groups to complete developmentally appropriate activities designed to elicit their perspectives on their device use and categories of PMU. Children in this phase were able to offer a range of descriptions and insights about their device use and PMU behaviours. Phase 2 utilised a Delphi method involving a group of adult experts in child development and media use (n=12) to refine a list of applicable items for this new measure. Phase 3 combined data from Phases 1 and 2 to guide the creation and refinement of 11 animations to be used in the measure, which were iteratively refined with the same group of children from Phase 1 (n=19). These animations demonstrated high rates of understandability, whilst qualitative feedback indicated the children found them enjoyable and engaging. Phase 4 involved the piloting of the PMUAM-SR with a larger sample of children aged between 5-9 years (n=43; 55.81% boys; M age = 6.65; SD = 1.0). Most children (n=40) indicated they have experienced at least one criteria of PMU, whilst between 4.7-16.3% indicated overall problematic levels of media use. Although the sample size in Phase 4 was not large enough to provide psychometric validation of the PMUAM-SR, results suggest that it is feasible, and future researchers should aim to validate this measure in a larger sample of children.
Researchers cannot gain comprehensive insight into the world of the children unless they include their perspectives. Throughout this study children have consistently demonstrated they are capable reporters and enjoy sharing perspectives about their device use. These findings align with emerging evidence that should encourage researchers across all areas of child development to actively include children in research that affects them
Evolutionary rescue of spherical mreB deletion mutants of the rod-shape bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25
No full textMaintenance of rod-shape in bacterial cells depends on the actin-like protein MreB.
Deletion of mreB from Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 results in viable spherical cells of variable
volume and reduced fitness. Using a combination of time-resolved microscopy and biochemical
assay of peptidoglycan synthesis, we show that reduced fitness is a consequence of perturbed cell
size homeostasis that arises primarily from differential growth of daughter cells. A 1000-generation
selection experiment resulted in rapid restoration of fitness with derived cells retaining spherical shape. Mutations in the peptidoglycan synthesis protein Pbp1A were identified as the main
route for evolutionary rescue with genetic reconstructions demonstrating causality. Compensatory pbp1A mutations that targeted transpeptidase activity enhanced homogeneity of cell wall
synthesis on lateral surfaces and restored cell size homeostasis. Mechanistic explanations require
enhanced understanding of why deletion of mreB causes heterogeneity in cell wall synthesis. We conclude by presenting two testable hypotheses, one of which posits that heterogeneity stems from non-functional cell wall synthesis machinery, while the second posits that the machinery is functional, albeit stalled. Overall, our data provide support for the second hypothesis and draw attention to the importance of balance between transpeptidase and glycosyltransferase functions of peptidoglycan building enzymes for cell shape determination
Introduction: Changing geopolitics in Oceania
No full textA seismic shift is underway in global politics as the primacy of the United States (US)—and the
Western world in general—faces its most significant challenge since the collapse of the Soviet
Union more than three decades ago. Propelled by rapid economic growth, command of cuttingedge
technologies, and expanding military power, the People’s Republic of China (China) has
emerged as a formidable force on the world stage. China is now the largest trading partner for
some 120 countries and a significant source of investment capital in the developing world. As its
global influence has grown, Beijing has become more assertive in pressing China’s core security
interests, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, where the US and its allies have long held sway.
China’s rise poses a threat to Washington’s long-standing dominance of international institutions
and norms, as well as the alliance system that has allowed the US to project power around the
globe since the end of World War II
Aprendizaje colaborativo de la ciencia del agua, proyectos de ciencia ciudadana en cordillera y humedales costeros en la zona árida de Chile central [Collaborative learning of water science, citizen science projects in the cordillera and coastal wetlands in the arid zone of central Chile]
No full textThe citizen science program for arid regions, developed by the CEAZA Scientific Center
since 2015, arises in harmony with the interests of the residents of the Coquimbo Region.
This inclusive project involves individuals from diverse territories, ages, socio-economic
levels, and disciplines, united by their enthusiasm for science and the desire to contribute
to knowledge while collaborating in the appreciation and preservation of the local natural
and cultural heritage.
Initiatives stem from a detailed analysis of the interests and ideal citizen science project
models, tailored to residents categorized as decision-makers, researchers, and community
members. The results of this diagnosis guide the creation of specific actions for the mountainous and coastal areas.
In the mountainous region, the “Vecinos de las Nieves” network stands out, a citizen
science community composed of schools and residents. This network monitors precipitation at an altitude of 1.100 meters above sea level, generating crucial information in an
environment with high water scarcity. The implemented methodology has facilitated the
integration of science and society to significantly benefit communities in isolated territories, preserving the cultural richness of the mountains.
Additionally, initiatives implemented in coastal wetlands are detailed, focusing on the
appreciation, management, and participatory monitoring of these ecosystems. These projects connect communities near these natural areas in urban centers and fishing coves, such
as the “Participatory Monitoring of Birds in the Coastal Wetland of the Limarí River”. This
community initiative has successfully identified fragile areas, as well as the richness and
abundance of birds in the wetland, simultaneously becoming a breeding ground for leaders
in nature observation and environmental education.
Finally, the program’s active participation in the “Coastal Wetlands Working Groups” is
highlighted, aiming to foster collaboration among various stakeholders for the sustainable
management of these ecosystems. The goal is to promote a shared vision for the conservation of biodiversity in the wetlands of Bahía de Coquimbo, Tongoy, Limarí, and Huente lauquén. In conclusion, recommendations are offered based on the experience gained in
the design, coordination, and engagement of a large number of individuals in participatory
projects, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between science and society for the
appreciation of natural and cultural heritage
Detecting Linguistic Diversity on Social Media
No full textThis chapter explores the efficacy of using social media data to examine
changing linguistic behaviour of a place. We focus our investigation on Aotearoa
New Zealand where official statistics from the census is the only source of language
use data. We use published census data as the ground truth and the social media sub corpus from the Corpus of Global Language Use as our alternative data source. We
use place as the common denominator between the two data sources. We identify
the language conditions of each tweet in the social media data set and validated
our results with two language identification models. We then compare levels of
linguistic diversity at national, regional, and local geographies. The results suggest
that social media language data has the possibility to provide a rich source of spatial
and temporal insights on the linguistic profile of a place. We show that social media
is sensitive to demographic and sociopolitical changes within a language and at
low-level regional and local geographies
Effects of temperature overshoot amplitude on regional climate
No full textAbstract
Overshooting a global temperature target before returning back to the target using negative emissions is increasingly being discussed in light of ongoing emissions inconsistent with achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. While global temperature is widely expected to be reversible under such conditions, regional climate responses are much less well understood. We analyse results from two CMIP6 overshoot scenarios run by an ensemble of Earth system models to assess changes in temperature and precipitation across the globe. We find that overshooting a temperature target by a larger amount leads to a warmer Southern Hemisphere, a cooler Northern Hemisphere, and larger decreases of precipitation in North Africa and increases in East Asia, compared to a smaller temperature overshoot. Some differences, notably increases in extreme temperatures, persist for centuries after the overshoot. These findings show that reversal of global temperatures will not be felt evenly across the globe and that the size of an overshoot matters long term.</jats:p
Case Comment: The Risks of Mixing Legal Practice with Non-Legal Business Activities – Case 1/2025
No full textWhile this is a decision of the Taxation and Charities Review Authority (TCRA) and not a senior court, it raises
some interesting issues around providing evidence for claiming income tax deductions and the risks when a legal
professional mixes their daily work activities with other non-legal (business) activities. The TCRA heard a
challenge from the taxpayer (a lawyer who operated his legal practice personally as a sole trader) against the
Commissioner’s assessments disallowing deductions claimed by the taxpayer on the basis that there was no
adequate nexus between the derivation of his income and the disputed expenditure
Bio-electrochemical denitrification – The impact of cathode potential, inoculum source and nitrate loading rate.
No full textBio-electrochemical systems (BESs) offer a promising strategy for nitrate (NO3−) remediation in groundwater. However, treatment efficiency is often limited in wastewater with low organic carbon to NO₃⁻ ratios. This study investigates the impact of cathodic potential on microbial biofilm development and long-term operation of bio-electrochemical denitrifying (BED) systems. BED reactors were operated under fed-batch and continuous modes at either −700 mV or −1100 mV (vs Ag/AgCl), to provoke direct electron transfer or hydrogen-mediated pathways, respectively. Reactors poised at −1100 mV achieved up to a 600 % increase in NO₃⁻ removal compared to −700 mV systems, reaching a maximum rate of 5.41 ± 0.05 g NO₃⁻-N m⁻² d⁻¹. Microbial community analysis revealed that −1100 mV BED reactors were enriched with hydrogenotrophic denitrifiers (e.g. Hydrogenophaga spp., Dechloromonas spp., and Simplicispira spp.), whereas the −700 mV BED reactor was dominated by Candidatus Nitrotoga spp., commonly associated with NO₂⁻ oxidation, suggesting electroactive denitrification. Collectively, results demonstrate that cathodic potential plays a critical role in shaping the microbial biofilm community and NO₃⁻ removal performance within BED systems