MASTS ‘Brexit’ event – summary report

Background. As negotiations continue in relation to the UK’s departure from the European Union, considerable uncertainty remains around the final structure of any deal and the implications across all policy areas. Maritime issues are of key concern in Scotland and numerous reports and opinions are accumulating, highlighting significant areas of concern, ranging from fisheries to decommissioning, and some potential opportunities. There is a critical need for knowledge and capacity to support and influence the on-going negotiation process, at both the Scottish and UK level. Expertise regarding the broad range of marine research, operations and commerce is in demand to support discussion, promote interests and secure advances where possible. Such discussion must be based on the best available science but taking into account the socio-economic and historical context. The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland1 (MASTS) is supporting this discussion, providing scientific expertise and promoting the development of emerging policy and progress towards sustainable marine management, during the transition period and for the post-departure UK organisation. This workshop, supported by MASTS, brought government and academia together to consider the legal, governmental and research framework under which Brexit is taking place and to identify priority areas and activities where information can be shared and options considered for enhancing scientific support for the Brexit process. The objectives were to: • Understand current status of Brexit with respect to marine systems and research capacity, including the legislative framework • Identify the priority gaps in knowledge • Develop ways to enhance communication pathways for the best scientific advice required to support the Brexit process.Publisher PD

Adaptation to climate change–related ocean acidification : An adaptive governance approach

Climate change-driven ocean acidification (OA) is causing rapid change to global ecosystems and poses a significant threat to marine life. However, predicting ecosystem effects remains highly uncertain and governance responses to OA are not yet forthcoming. Adaptive governance can provide a means to deal with this uncertainty and we consider its application to the polycentric governance of adaptation responses to OA in Scotland, focussing on the aquaculture industry as a vulnerable sector. A workshop was used to develop potential responses to OA and to gain information about present and potential capacity for adaptive governance at national and regional levels. Scottish legislation, policy and planning documents were subsequently analysed to enable description of how governance and management arrangements constrain or enable adaptation responses. Legislative and policy analysis indicates convergence across emerging mechanisms in support of adaptive governance and identified interventions. Recent advances in climate change adaptation in Scotland promotes integration of adaptation into wider Scottish Government policy development and functions, based on iterative and collaborative processes across scales. Alongside this, new models of coastal and marine governance, including a partnership-led regional marine planning process and devolution of seabed management rights under Crown Estate Scotland, seek to advance new models of locally-led and learning-based planning and management which can support adaptation responses. However, adaptation measures at operational scale requires flexibility in the aquaculture licensing regime which is currently of low adaptive capacity. Further, expansion of the industry faces social and ecological constraints which limit spatial measures, and are complicated by uncertainty in predicting local OA effects. Expanding the use of holistic and co-operative management tools such as Aquaculture Management Areas could support adaptation across wider spatial scales. Better integration across policy and planning instruments is also needed to enhance adaptive capacity, including between climate change adaptation, marine planning and aquaculture planning and management. This could be enabled by establishing links between existing and proposed collaborative groups to enhance development of adaptation responses and through co-ordination of monitoring and review processes to promote learning across scales

Partnering with carers in the management of delirium in general acute care settings:An integrative review

Objectives: Delirium is a common, preventable condition. However, delirium is poorly recognised and often missed because symptoms are misinterpreted, and risk factors overlooked by health-care professionals. Carers usually have intimate knowledge about the person they care for. Therefore, they are well placed within care teams to implement delirium prevention strategies, identify symptoms and support the early diagnosis of delirium. The aim of this integrative review was to synthesise findings from the published research reporting on partnering with carers in the management of delirium in general acute care settings. Methods: Five databases (Medline-EBSCO, PubMed, PsycINFO, ProQuest, CINAHL and SCOPUS) were searched to identify primary research regarding partnering with carers in the management of delirium in acute care settings, and results were synthesised. PRISMA guidelines were adhered to, and quality appraisal was conducted using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results: All seven studies reported that partnering with carers was a viable strategy in the management of delirium to maximise outcomes for people at risk of or experiencing delirium and that increasing carers' knowledge of delirium was key. The synthesis of findings also identified two themes: Increasing knowledge and Effective partnerships. Conclusions: A collaborative approach to increasing carers' and nurses' knowledge about the management of delirium, coupled with education on how to develop therapeutic nurse–carer relationships, is important for ongoing effective partnerships in the management of delirium. Good communication supported effective partnerships, which enabled both nurses and carers the opportunity to express their needs and concerns and negotiate collaborative involvement in the management of delirium.</p

A Toolkit for Delirium Identification and Promoting Partnerships Between Carers and Nurses:A Pilot Pre-Post Feasibility Study

BACKGROUND: Delirium is frightening for people experiencing it and their carers, and it is the most common hospital-acquired complication worldwide. Delirium is associated with higher rates of morbidity, mortality, residential care home admission, dementia, and carer stress and burden, yet strategies to embed the prevention and management of delirium as part of standard hospital care remain challenging. Carers are well placed to recognize subtle changes indicative of delirium, and partner with nurses in the prevention and management of delirium.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a Prevention &amp; Early Delirium Identification Carer Toolkit (PREDICT), to support partnerships between carers and nurses to prevent and manage delirium.DESIGN: A pre-post-test intervention and observation study.MAIN MEASURES: Changes in carer knowledge of delirium; beliefs about their role in partnering with nurses and intended and actual use of PREDICT; carer burden and psychological distress. Secondary measures were rates of delirium.PARTICIPANTS: Participants were carers of Indigenous patients aged 45 years and older and non-Indigenous patients aged 65 years and older.INTERVENTION: Nurses implemented PREDICT, with a view to provide carers with information about delirium and strategies to address caregiving stress and burden.KEY RESULTS: Participants included 25 carers (43% response rate) (n = 17, 68% female) aged 29-88 (M = 65, SD = 17.7 years). Carer delirium knowledge increased significantly from pre-to-post intervention (p =  &lt; .001; CI 2.07-4.73). Carers' intent and actual use of PREDICT was (n = 18, 72%; and n = 17, 68%). Carer burden and psychological distress did not significantly change. The incidence of delirium in the intervention ward although not significant, decreased, indicating opportunity for scaling up.CONCLUSION: The prevention and management of delirium are imperative for safe and quality care for patients, carers, and staff. Further comprehensive and in-depth research is required to better understand underlying mechanisms of change and explore facets of nursing practice influenced by this innovative approach.</p

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Towards sustainable management of kelp forests: An analysis of adaptive governance in developing regimes for wild kelp harvesting in Scotland and Norway

Kelp forests are highly productive habitats which support important marine species and ecosystem services including coastal protection and carbon storage. Demand is increasing for commercial products from wild and cultivated kelp, however questions remain on how harvesting of wild kelp can be managed and governed in a sustainable and adaptive way. This paper analyses and contrasts the institutional arrangements for wild kelp harvesting in Scotland and Norway by examining three recent governance processes through document analysis and participant observation. We investigate to what extent the regimes display three foundational aspects of adaptive governance: local governance and participation; the use of knowledge; and legal adaptive capacity. Industrial harvesting has been underway for decades in Norway but is not yet practiced in Scotland, although kelp availability and traditional usage are similar. In Scotland, following extensive public objection in response to proposed industrial harvesting, a legal restriction was adopted in 2019 that prohibits industrial harvesting of whole plants, and the regulatory regime remains under review. In Norway, governance of kelp harvesting is designed to be adaptive and inclusive through periodic review of regional harvesting regulations, yet has not been adjusted despite contestation from stakeholders. In both cases, adaptive governance processes are indicated but are not influential on outcomes. Our paper reveals several obstacles to knowledge-based adaptive governance in practice. First, it is insufficient to create the processes of engagement and participation - these must be empowered to influence governance and remain legitimate. In both cases, the regimes remain hierarchical and dominated by central agencies, even though structures for local governance are available. Second, integrating scientific and local knowledge was shown to be difficult, and mechanisms to debate and negotiate risks and benefits were lacking. In each case, diverging perspectives on kelp harvesting were sustained even though final outcomes were reached, and consensus was elusive. Third, adaptive capacity of applicable legal instruments is of crucial importance, with differences apparent in capacity to enable on-going revision (as in Norway) and limit future change (in Scotland). Poor co-ordination between legal instruments also leads to complications between actors with different mandates and policy objectives. Recommendations are made for an adaptive approach to protect and manage kelp as a critical habitat.publishedVersio

Second Workshop report: Mobilising the science community in progessing towards a sustainable and inclusive ocean economy

Across the Blue Economy, science must play a fundamental role in moving us away from business as usual to a more sustainable pathway. It provides evidence to inform policy by understanding baselines, trends and tipping points, as well as the multiple and interacting effects of human activities and policy interventions. Measuring progress depends on strong evidence and requires the design of a monitoring framework based on well-defined objectives and indicators, informed by the diverse disciplines required to inform progress on cross-cutting policy objectives such as the Just Transition. The differences between the scientific and policy processes are stark and affect interaction between them, including, among other factors, the time pressures of governmental decision-making, and the lack of support and reward in academia for policy engagement. To enable improved integration, the diverse nature of the science / policy interface is important to recognise – improved communication between scientists and policy professionals within government is important, as well as interaction with the wider academic community through secondments and other mechanisms. Skills in working across boundaries are valuable, requiring training and professional recognition. We also discussed the science needs across the themes of the Just Transition, Sustainable Seafood, Nature-based Solutions and the Circular Economy, where we considered: • What research and knowledge can help us manage synergies and trade-offs? • Where is innovation needed to promote synergies? • What type of indicators, data and evidence are needed to measure progress? The insights developed through dialogue among participants on these themes are outlined in Section 4 of this report.Publisher PD

Towards sustainable management of kelp forests: An analysis of adaptive governance in developing regimes for wild kelp harvesting in Scotland and Norway

Kelp forests are highly productive habitats which support important marine species and ecosystem services including coastal protection and carbon storage. Demand is increasing for commercial products from wild and cultivated kelp, however questions remain on how harvesting of wild kelp can be managed and governed in a sustainable and adaptive way. This paper analyses and contrasts the institutional arrangements for wild kelp harvesting in Scotland and Norway by examining three recent governance processes through document analysis and participant observation. We investigate to what extent the regimes display three foundational aspects of adaptive governance: local governance and participation; the use of knowledge; and legal adaptive capacity. Industrial harvesting has been underway for decades in Norway but is not yet practiced in Scotland, although kelp availability and traditional usage are similar. In Scotland, following extensive public objection in response to proposed industrial harvesting, a legal restriction was adopted in 2019 that prohibits industrial harvesting of whole plants, and the regulatory regime remains under review. In Norway, governance of kelp harvesting is designed to be adaptive and inclusive through periodic review of regional harvesting regulations, yet has not been adjusted despite contestation from stakeholders. In both cases, adaptive governance processes are indicated but are not influential on outcomes. Our paper reveals several obstacles to knowledge-based adaptive governance in practice. First, it is insufficient to create the processes of engagement and participation - these must be empowered to influence governance and remain legitimate. In both cases, the regimes remain hierarchical and dominated by central agencies, even though structures for local governance are available. Second, integrating scientific and local knowledge was shown to be difficult, and mechanisms to debate and negotiate risks and benefits were lacking. In each case, diverging perspectives on kelp harvesting were sustained even though final outcomes were reached, and consensus was elusive. Third, adaptive capacity of applicable legal instruments is of crucial importance, with differences apparent in capacity to enable on-going revision (as in Norway) and limit future change (in Scotland). Poor co-ordination between legal instruments also leads to complications between actors with different mandates and policy objectives. Recommendations are made for an adaptive approach to protect and manage kelp as a critical habitat