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Shared leadership can promote success in collaborative research networks in ecology
Get PDFWhile collaborative science is becoming the norm in ecology, many ecologists participating in collaborations are less aware of the body of research that studies the processes by which collaborative teams organize and communicate. Here, we discuss how we successfully used a shared leadership model in the Dry Rivers Research Coordination Network. We discuss how this model promoted our success in different stages of the project, using the Tuckman model of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Shared leadership in the forming phase helped us recruit a diverse membership from different scientific disciplines. In the storming and norming phases, shared leadership was especially useful in ensuring that all voices were heard in establishing group norms that promoted adhesion among and investment by RCN members. Shared leadership in the performing phase was crucial in providing opportunities for early career members to lead projects, and in the adjourning phase we reflected upon our entire collaboration to identify that shared leadership was crucial to our success, generating the thesis for this commentary. It is our hope that others may find this discussion of our experience in implementing a shared leadership model useful in developing their own fruitful collaborations. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.Full Tex
Nurse-identified needs, recommendations, and referrals during consultations with family carers of patients diagnosed with high-grade glioma
Get PDFBackground
The aim of this manuscript was to describe the frequency and types of nurse-identified needs, recommendations, and referrals delivered to intervention-arm carers of patients with high-grade glioma (HGG) during monthly nurse-led telephone assessments in the Care-IS randomized controlled trial.
Methods
Primary carers of patients diagnosed with HGG (≤2 months prior) and undergoing active treatment were randomized to: a 12-month Care-IS intervention; or, a control group. Carers randomized to the intervention were included in this sub-analysis. Nurses recorded carers’ needs and made recommendations and referrals. Data analysis descriptively explored categories of needs, recommendations, or referrals.
Results
An initial Nurse Telephone Assessment (NTA) was conducted with carers (N = 92) with drop-out related to time constraints, patient deterioration or death, or study withdrawal (N = 10 at month 10). Nurses identified ≥1 need, recommendation, or referral during the majority (≥90%) of NTAs. Up to 6 months, the most common needs were: dealing with treatment and side effects (74%–85%), understanding physical symptoms and side effects (60%–76%), mental and behavioral changes (53%–67%), and caring for yourself (51%–68%). The top recommendations were: tailored resources from the Care-IS resource manual (81%–96%), community-based support (47%–65%), medical specialist and clinical care (39%–56%), and additional information provision (30%–38%). The top referrals were for medical specialists and clinical care (27%–48%). Palliative care was the main recommendation (29%) and referral (19%) at months 9–10.
Conclusions
NTAs identified a high frequency of carer unmet needs. Carer needs were highly variable, patient-focused, and changed over time. Nurses must accommodate a broad range of recommendations from providing additional information to making health/community referrals.Full Tex
Heart-felt responses to virtual reality games: investigating a polyvagal model of (re)connection to nature
Get PDFThe environmental crisis is deepening as we exceed critical planetary boundaries. Addressing this crisis requires innovative approaches for public engagement. Grounded in Porges’ [1995. Orienting in a defensive world: Mammalian modifications of our evolutionary heritage. A polyvagal theory. Psychophysiology, 32(4), 301–318] polyvagal theory and its links to social resilience, this research explores the potential of a virtual reality (VR) game to change how our physiology responds to threatened ecosystems. Using the context of an iconic and climate-vulnerable natural attraction, the Great Barrier Reef, we test whether the VR game can elicit parasympathetic, ventral vagal states. Achieving this can balance typical fear-based conservation messaging, on the one hand, with embodied states that are associated with regenerative states (‘rest and digest’) on the other. Using electrocardiogram measures combined with semi-structured interviews, this study examines 31 participants’ experience while playing the VR game. Findings reveal a significant reduction in heart rate during gameplay compared to the baseline, while moments of coral bleaching increase heart rate, suggesting sympathetic arousal. Interviews show that participants experienced a mix of emotions, from calmness and satisfaction during gameplay to panic and fear during bleaching events. This research highlights VR’s potential to elicit ‘rest and digest’ parasympathetic states in the context of nature conservation and marine tourism, offering alternative tools for ecological engagement.Full Tex
Patterns of acute watery diarrhea in Fiji: understanding the implications for water and sanitation services
Get PDFBACKGROUND: Diarrheal disease, including acute watery diarrhea (AWD), remains a persistent global health challenge, particularly in settings with inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure. Understanding the local epidemiological features of AWD is a crucial first step to inform effective public health intervention. This study examines the AWD trends in Fiji and their association with water and sanitation service levels as defined by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme. METHODS: This ecological study analysed longitudinal syndromic surveillance data on AWD cases reported in Fiji's Central and Western Divisions from April 2016 to December 2021, alongside census derived water and sanitation data. Age-specific trends, seasonal patterns, and district-level variations were assessed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation analyses. The associations between AWD incidence, water and sanitation service levels were evaluated using negative binomial regression, adjusting for district-level population confounders. Additionally, population attributable risk (PAR) was calculated to estimate the proportion of AWD cases linked to unimproved water and sanitation services. RESULTS: Children under 5 years old (U5) had the highest incidence of AWD throughout the study period, with both age groups showing a seasonal trend from February to April annually. AWD rates declined during the period when COVID-19 travel restrictions were in place. A strong correlation existed between U5 and O5 cases across all years (R = 0.59-0.88; 95% CI: 0.45-0.92; p < 0.001). Nearly 18% of AWD cases were attributable to unimproved water (PAR 17.46%) and sanitation (PAR 17.80%). Access to safely managed water service reduced AWD risk (reference category), while unimproved water (RR 3.42; 95% CI: 2.66-4.38) and sanitation (RR 7.56; 95% CI: 4.21-13.58) service levels posed the highest risks. CONCLUSION: Advancing access to safely managed water and sanitation is essential to mitigate AWD. Investments in water and sanitation infrastructure particularly in underserved and high-risk areas should be prioritised. The findings underscore the importance of context-specific Water and Sanitation interventions in Pacific Island settings.Full Tex
Combined remediation effect of ryegrass-earthworm on heavy metal composite contaminated soil
No full textCombining plants and soil organisms offers an effective strategy for managing heavy metal contamination. A pot experiment was conducted by using ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and earthworms (Eisenia fetida) under five levels of heavy metal contamination, applied individually and in combination. After 80 days, plant and earthworm growth, heavy metal accumulation, and residual soil metal concentrations were analysed to assess the potential of ryegrass-earthworm for remediation of heavy metal contaminated soil. The results indicated that the combined treatment significantly enhanced ryegrass and earthworm growth, increasing both the density and biomass yield of ryegrass and earthworms compared to the individual treatments. This approach also improved heavy metal accumulation, achieving the maximum decreases Cd, Pb, and Cu in soil of 38 %, 42 %, and 34 %, respectively. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed mutual growth promotion between ryegrass and earthworms, though competition for heavy metal accumulation was noted. The combined treatment achieved the highest subordinate function value (0.50), outperforming ryegrass alone (0.48) and earthworms alone (0.43). These findings highlight the superior effectiveness of the combined ryegrass-earthworm strategy, particularly at higher heavy metal concentrations, making it a promising strategy for remediating contaminated soils.No Full Tex
Cultural, economic, and settlement shifts over the last 9,000 years at Kakapel Rockshelter, Western Kenya
Get PDFThe spread of food production in sub-Saharan Africa involved multi-directional dispersals of domesticated plant and animal species, often associated with major migrations. The Lake Victoria Basin of eastern Africa was likely an important crossroads in this process, hosting interactions between diverse populations with hunter-gatherer, mobile pastoralist, and farming lifeways in the Holocene. Recent discovery of a large assemblage of ancient domesticated plant remains at Kakapel Rockshelter in the Chelelemuk Hills of Busia County, western Kenya have provided new insights into the timing for when different domesticated crops were adopted within this key region. Here, we expand on the archaeological and cultural context for these findings by reporting results of field excavations, regional surveys, radiocarbon dating, and artifact analyses for deposits recovered from Kakapel Rockshelter dating over the last 9,000 years. Multiple occupational episodes with distinct cultural and technological traits are apparent including Early Holocene foragers, Early Iron Age agropastoralists, and multiple Later Iron Age populations. Agropastoralism first appears here by c. 2400 BP, but it is not until the introduction of sorghum and finger millet after c. 1200 BP in association with arrivals of new groups with Nilotic ancestry that we document the shift to a higher density of sites and longer-term settlement in the region.Full Tex
Clinical Ceiling: Barriers to Lived Experience-Led Approaches in the Mental Health Sector
No full textLived experience leadership is essential for reforming the mental health sector. However, deep-rooted barriers, such as entrenched mindsets and existing power structures, block the potential for lived experience perspectives to be leveraged for change. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the dominance of hierarchies that continue to marginalise lived experience roles and impede the advancement and authority of these roles in leadership and lived experience-led approaches. It emphasises the need to challenge systemic clinical authority and disrupt the prevailing dominance of the medical model in order to fully harness lived expertise, driving reforms and the creation of non-clinical alternatives.No Full Tex
Interactive Graph Learning for Multilevel Network Alignment
No full textThe task of network alignment aims to identify corresponding nodes across multiple networks, with applications in various fields such as social network analysis and bioinformatics. Traditional methods typically focus on the topological structure of networks at a specific level, but they may overlook important properties exhibited by many networks, such as scale-free properties and specific power-law structures often found in social networks. Consequently, these methods fail to effectively capture and utilize such information, leading to misalignment. In this article, we propose a network alignment framework that incorporates both topological and attribute information from multiple levels in the network, including homogeneity, power-law, and higher order structures. We introduce a Euclidean hyperbolic interactive graph learning method specifically designed for modeling power-law structures in networks, aiming to improve the accuracy of network alignment. To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed method, we conduct experiments on several real-world datasets. The results demonstrate that our approach achieves higher accuracy compared to other advanced baselines.No Full Tex
Painfully Obvious? Non-Operative Drivers of Post-Operative Pain and Opioid Exposure in a Predominantly Emergency Surgical Cohort: A Multicentre Observational Study Identifying Non-Operative, Perioperative Pain Correlates
Get PDFIntroduction: There are many non-operative factors (patient specific and management strategies) that are ubiquitous across all surgeries, which may influence perioperative pain. Recognition of these factors and their association with pain and analgesia requirements could provide avenues for improved perioperative care. Methods: All consecutive surgical patients admitted to six Australian tertiary hospitals (2017–2024) were included. The primary outcome was postoperative pain score (0 = no pain to 10 = unbearable pain). Additional outcomes included “Pain Crisis”, quantity of postoperative and discharge analgesia. Pain scores were calculated using the median scores in the 5 days postoperatively. Postoperative analgesia was quantified by total morphine milligram equivalents (MME) in the 5 days postoperatively and discharge analgesia as MME provided on the discharge prescription. Multivariable binary logistic and linear regression models, with backward elimination, were employed with clinical characteristics and non-operative management factors included as predictors. Results: A total of 37,278 patients were included. Of these, 92% were unplanned emergency procedures. Psychological factors, such as depression and anxiety, significantly influenced perioperative pain and opioid use. An increase in socio-economic status was associated with less postoperative analgesia but more discharge analgesia. Older patients generally experienced less pain and required fewer opioids. Contrastingly, increased frailty correlated with higher opioid usage. Patients speaking English as a primary language reported more postoperative pain, without higher opioid use. Patients who did not identify as a First Nations Australian received 30% more opioids on discharge, despite no relationship with pain. Discussion/Conclusion: An integrated, anticipatory, patient-centric approach to perioperative pain and analgesia that considers not only the surgical factors but also the individual's psychological and socio-economic context is required.Full Tex
Developing a consumer- and clinician-led evidence-informed research agenda for public neonatal services
No full textBackground
Research is a pillar of neonatal care, with millions of dollars invested towards improving outcomes for critically ill newborns. Traditionally, research programs have focused on primary research, rather than region-specific or family-focused needs, which adds to challenges for practice improvement or local translation. In contrast, research codesigned with families continues to emerge as a framework for individual and future programs, prioritising the voices of families and ex-neonates.
Objective
The objective of this study was to develop a collaborative, region-specific, consumer-centred research agenda for public Southeast Queensland neonatology services.
Methods
A modified James Lind Alliance research priority setting process was applied between June 2023 and August 2024 over six stages. Partnering with consumers, healthcare professionals and clinician researchers worked collaboratively to conduct online surveys, evidence-checks, and in-person workshops. The analysis was completed in Excel with results described descriptively.
Results
A steering committee was formed (n = 11) including two previous parents, researchers, and healthcare professionals. The harvesting survey resulted in 215 priorities provided by 94 respondents. The 215 questions/statements were checked against study scope and evidence (n = 16 removed), aggregated into 20 themes, before being summarised for interim ranking (n = 47; of which 41 were primary research and six were translational or health service research). On the basis of ranking provided by 212 respondants, 29 questions/itmes were shortlisted for the consensus workshop. The final workshop was attended by 34 stakeholder representatives (11 consumers, nine nurses/midwives, seven allied health professionals, and seven medical officers). The top seven priority themes were as follows: (i) reduction of family stress and disconnection; (ii) optimisation of initial 72-h care; (iii) technology and innovation; (iv) feeding and growth strategies; (v) implementing and sustaining neurodevelopment/neuroprotective care; (vi) optimising respiratory therapy; and (vii) models for family-centred and culturally safe communication.
Conclusion
An innovative and compassionate consumer-led research agenda, specific to the health service region, was developed, strengthening partnerships between local families and professionals to improve care.No Full Tex