113 research outputs found
Changing practice to support self-management and recovery in mental illness: application of an implementation model
Author Version made available in accordance with the publisher's policyHealth services introducing practice changes need effective implementation methods. Within the setting of a community mental health service offering recovery-oriented psychosocial support for people with mental illness, we aimed to (a) identify a well-founded implementation model and (b) assess its practical usefulness in introducing a new program for recovery-oriented self-management support. We reviewed the literature to identify implementation models applicable to community mental health, and having corresponding measurement tools. We used one of these models to inform organisational change strategies. The literature review showed few models with corresponding tools. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) model and the related Organizational Readiness to Change Assessment (ORCA) tool were used. PARIHS proposes prerequisites for health service change and the ORCA measures the extent to which these prerequisites are present. Application of the ORCA at two time points during implementation of the new program showed strategy-related gains for some prerequisites but not for others, reflecting observed implementation progress. Additional strategies to address target prerequisites could be drawn from the PARIHS model. The PARIHS model and ORCA tool have potential in designing and monitoring practice change strategies in community mental health. Further practical use and testing of implementation models appears justified in overcoming barriers to change
Improved Sensitivity for Space Domain Awareness Observations with the Murchison Widefield Array
Our previously reported survey of the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environment using
the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) detected over 70 unique Resident Space
Objects (RSOs) over multiple passes, from 20 hours of observations in passive
radar mode. In this paper, we extend this work by demonstrating two methods
that improve the detection sensitivity of the system. The first method, called
shift-stacking, increases the statistical significance of faint RSO signals
through the spatially coherent integration of the reflected signal along the
RSO's trajectory across the sky. This method was tested on the observations
used during our previous blind survey, and we obtained a increase in the
total number of detections. The second method re-focuses the MWA to the
near-field RSO's position (post-observation), by applying a complex phase
correction to each visibility to account for the curved wave-front. The method
was tested successfully on an MWA extended array observation of an ISS pass.
However, the method is currently limited by signal de-coherence on the
long-baselines (due to the hardware constraints of the current correlator). We
discuss the sensitivity improvement for RSO detections we expect from the MWA
Phase 3 correlator upgrade. We conclude the paper by briefly commenting on
future dedicated Space Domain Awareness (SDA) systems that will incorporate MWA
technologies.Comment: Accepted in Advances in Space Research. 16 pages, 10 figures, and 1
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Mechanical overstimulation causes acute injury and synapse loss followed by fast recovery in lateral-line neuromasts of larval zebrafish
Excess noise damages sensory hair cells, resulting in loss of synaptic connections with auditory nerves and, in some cases, hair-cell death. The cellular mechanisms underlying mechanically induced hair-cell damage and subsequent repair are not completely understood. Hair cells in neuromasts of larval zebrafish are structurally and functionally comparable to mammalian hair cells but undergo robust regeneration following ototoxic damage. We therefore developed a model for mechanically induced hair-cell damage in this highly tractable system. Free swimming larvae exposed to strong water wave stimulus for 2 hr displayed mechanical injury to neuromasts, including afferent neurite retraction, damaged hair bundles, and reduced mechanotransduction. Synapse loss was observed in apparently intact exposed neuromasts, and this loss was exacerbated by inhibiting glutamate uptake. Mechanical damage also elicited an inflammatory response and macrophage recruitment. Remarkably, neuromast hair-cell morphology and mechanotransduction recovered within hours following exposure, suggesting severely damaged neuromasts undergo repair. Our results indicate functional changes and synapse loss in mechanically damaged lateral-line neuromasts that share key features of damage observed in noise-exposed mammalian ear. Yet, unlike the mammalian ear, mechanical damage to neuromasts is rapidly reversible
Tnt1 Retrotransposon Mutagenesis: A Tool for Soybean Functional Genomics
Insertional mutagenesis is a powerful tool for determining gene function in both model and crop plant species. Tnt1, the transposable element of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) cell type 1, is a retrotransposon that replicates via an RNA copy that is reverse transcribed and integrated elsewhere in the plant genome. Based on studies in a variety of plants, Tnt1 appears to be inactive in normal plant tissue but can be reactivated by tissue culture. Our goal was to evaluate the utility of the Tnt1 retrotransposon as a mutagenesis strategy in soybean (Glycine max). Experiments showed that the Tnt1 element was stably transformed into soybean plants by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation. Twenty-seven independent transgenic lines carrying Tnt1 insertions were generated. Southern-blot analysis revealed that the copy number of transposed Tnt1 elements ranged from four to 19 insertions, with an average of approximately eight copies per line. These insertions showed Mendelian segregation and did not transpose under normal growth conditions. Analysis of 99 Tnt1 flanking sequences revealed insertions into 62 (62%) annotated genes, indicating that the element preferentially inserts into protein-coding regions. Tnt1 insertions were found in all 20 soybean chromosomes, indicating that Tnt1 transposed throughout the soybean genome. Furthermore, fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments validated that Tnt1 inserted into multiple chromosomes. Passage of transgenic lines through two different tissue culture treatments resulted in Tnt1 transposition, significantly increasing the number of insertions per line. Thus, our data demonstrate the Tnt1 retrotransposon to be a powerful system that can be used for effective large-scale insertional mutagenesis in soybean
Oyster reef restoration fails to recoup global historic ecosystem losses despite substantial biodiversity gain
Human activities have led to degradation of ecosystems globally. The lost ecosystem functions and services accumulate from the time of disturbance to the full recovery of the ecosystem and can be quantified as a “recovery debt,” providing a valuable tool to develop better restoration practices that accelerate recovery and limit losses. Here, we quantified the recovery of faunal biodiversity and abundance toward a predisturbed state following structural restoration of oyster habitats globally. We found that while restoration initiates a rapid increase in biodiversity and abundance of reef-associated species within 2 years, recovery rate then decreases substantially, leaving a global shortfall in recovery of 35% below a predisturbed state. While efficient restoration methods boost recovery and minimize recovery shortfalls, the time to full recovery is yet to be quantified. Therefore, potential future coastal development should weigh up not only the instantaneous damage to ecosystem functions but also the potential for generational loss of services
Food safety and environmental quality impose conflicting demands on Central Coast growers
Improved Techniques for the Surveillance of the Near Earth Space Environment with the Murchison Widefield Array
In this paper we demonstrate improved techniques to extend coherent
processing intervals for passive radar processing, with the Murchison Widefield
Array. Specifically, we apply a two stage linear range and Doppler migration
compensation by utilising Keystone Formatting and a recent dechirping method.
These methods are used to further demonstrate the potential for the
surveillance of space with the Murchison Widefield Array using passive radar,
by detecting objects orders of magnitude smaller than previous work. This paper
also demonstrates how the linear Doppler migration methods can be extended to
higher order compensation to further increase potential processing intervals.Comment: Presented at the 2019 IEEE Radar Conference in Boston earlier this
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Independent discovery of a nulling pulsar with unusual subpulse drifting properties with the Murchison Widefield Array
We report the independent discovery of PSR J0026-1955 with the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) in the ongoing Southern-sky MWA Rapid Two-metre pulsar survey. J0026-1955 has a period of ∼1.306 s, a dispersion measure of ∼20.869 pc cm-3, and a nulling fraction of ∼77%. This pulsar highlights the advantages of the survey's long dwell times (∼80 minutes), which, when fully searched, will be sensitive to the expected population of similarly bright, intermittent pulsars with long nulls. A single-pulse analysis in the MWA's 140-170 MHz band also reveals a complex subpulse drifting behavior, including both rapid changes of the drift rate characteristic of mode switching pulsars, as well as a slow, consistent evolution of the drift rate within modes. In some longer drift sequences, interruptions in the otherwise smooth drift rate evolution occur preferentially at a particular phase, typically lasting a few pulses. These properties make this pulsar an ideal test bed for prevailing models of drifting behavior such as the carousel model
Turning a lost reef ecosystem into a national restoration program
Achieving a sustainable socioecological future now requires large-scale environmental repair across legislative borders. Yet, enabling large-scale conservation is complicated by policy-making processes that are disconnected from socioeconomic interests, multiple sources of knowledge, and differing applications of policy. We considered how a multidisciplinary approach to marine habitat restoration generated the scientific evidence base, community support, and funding needed to begin the restoration of a forgotten, functionally extinct shellfish reef ecosystem. The key actors came together as a multidisciplinary community of researchers, conservation practitioners, recreational fisher communities, and government bodies that collaborated across sectors to rediscover Australia's lost shellfish reefs and communicate the value of its restoration. Actions undertaken to build a case for large-scale marine restoration included synthesizing current knowledge on Australian shellfish reefs and their historical decline, using this history to tell a compelling story to spark public and political interest, integrating restoration into government policy, and rallying local support through community engagement. Clearly articulating the social, economic, and environmental business case for restoration led to state and national funding for reef restoration to meet diverse sustainability goals (e.g., enhanced biodiversity and fisheries productivity) and socioeconomic goals (e.g., job creation and recreational opportunities). A key lesson learned was the importance of aligning project goals with public and industry interests so that projects could address multiple political obligations. This process culminated in Australia's largest marine restoration initiative and shows that solutions for large-scale ecosystem repair can rapidly occur when socially valued science acts on political opportunities
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