Digital futures research and society: action, awareness and accountability

The contemporary Higher Education research environment demands ‘real-world’ impact as a key means of accounting for public sector funding. As such, there is increased pressure on researchers and research institutions to ensure research delivers outcomes for public good. This paper reports on research focused on a Digital Futures collaborative research program. The aim of the research was to explore how researchers and research stakeholders understand research impact. Impact was articulated as ‘making a difference’ however that ‘difference’ was translated by research participants as meaning the tangible impacts relating to quantitative components of research activities. The more subtle influences of research impact on society were less well articulated. Results from this research suggest that in the complex world of impact, action, awareness and accountability, as elements of research practice, are key to creating maximum value from knowledge creation initiatives

Predicting Second and Third Graders' Reading Comprehension Gains: Observing Students' and Classmates Talk during Literacy Instruction using COLT.

This paper introduces a new observation system that is designed to investigate students' and teachers' talk during literacy instruction, Creating Opportunities to Learn from Text (COLT). Using video-recorded observations of 2nd-3rd grade literacy instruction (N=51 classrooms, 337 students, 151 observations), we found that nine types of student talk ranged from using non-verbal gestures to generating new ideas. The more a student talked, the greater were his/her reading comprehension (RC) gains. Classmate talk also predicted RC outcomes (total effect size=0.27). We found that 11 types of teacher talk ranged from asking simple questions to encouraging students' thinking and reasoning. Teacher talk predicted student talk but did not predict students' RC gains directly. Findings highlight the importance of each student's discourse during literacy instruction, how classmates' talk contributes to the learning environments that each student experiences, and how this affects RC gains, with implications for improving the effectiveness of literacy instruction

Modelling the cooling effects of urban canals

We investigate the effects of canals on urban air temperatures, performing a national-scale analysis of urban canals in the UK and Ireland. Using canal characteristics and high-temporal resolution weather data, we model variability in water temperatures for 2022 at 15-minute intervals and use these data to analyse the effects on surrounding air temperatures. In addition, we incorporate the effects of shading by buildings, which can play a key role in water energy balance. In turn, this has implications for the effectiveness of canals in offsetting temperature extremes as well as the management and regulation of adjacent urban areas

Researching regional impact: the challenges and complexities

In this presentation, I will outline the focus of my PhD research project, which is assessing the research impact of USQ's Collaborative Research Network (CRN) Digital Futures program. I will provide an overview of my research to date and explain the challenges and complexities of researching the impact of research in a regional setting

Early impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and physical distancing measures on routine childhood vaccinations in England, January to April 2020.

Using electronic health records, we assessed the early impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on routine childhood vaccination in England by 26 April 2020. Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination counts fell from February 2020, and in the 3 weeks after introduction of physical distancing measures were 19.8% lower (95% confidence interval: -20.7 to -18.9) than the same period in 2019, before improving in mid-April. A gradual decline in hexavalent vaccination counts throughout 2020 was not accentuated by physical distancing

Three good reasons to understand the research impact of a technology-enabled initiative

The real-world impact of research is gaining much attention across the international Higher Education sector. Funding agencies, government organisations and community groups are seeking evidence that research initiatives are delivering impact beyond contributions to academia. Researchers, practitioners, educators, learning designers and developers require a good understanding of research impact, and associated terminology, to articulate the real-world benefits of technology-enabled initiatives. There are three good reasons to understand research impact in a Higher Education context. Firstly, comprehending the language of research impact facilitates meaningful discussion with research stakeholders. Secondly, recognising and communicating the real-world impact of an initiative affirms the 'so what' factor of a research project. And thirdly, demonstrating research impact, rather than reporting research outputs, is becoming more important in funding applications and project documentation. This paper concludes with a brief review of assessment frameworks developed to evaluate the real-world impact of Higher Education research

GABA-modulating bacteria of the human gut microbiota.

The gut microbiota affects many important host functions, including the immune response and the nervous system1. However, while substantial progress has been made in growing diverse microorganisms of the microbiota2, 23-65% of species residing in the human gut remain uncultured3,4, which is an obstacle for understanding their biological roles. A likely reason for this unculturability is the absence in artificial media of key growth factors that are provided by neighbouring bacteria in situ5,6. In the present study, we used co-culture to isolate KLE1738, which required the presence of Bacteroides fragilis to grow. Bioassay-driven purification of B. fragilis supernatant led to the isolation of the growth factor, which, surprisingly, is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid). GABA was the only tested nutrient that supported the growth of KLE1738, and a genome analysis supported a GABA-dependent metabolism mechanism. Using growth of KLE1738 as an indicator, we isolated a variety of GABA-producing bacteria, and found that Bacteroides ssp. produced large quantities of GABA. Genome-based metabolic modelling of the human gut microbiota revealed multiple genera with the predicted capability to produce or consume GABA. A transcriptome analysis of human stool samples from healthy individuals showed that GABA-producing pathways are actively expressed by Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and Escherichia species. By coupling 16S ribosmal RNA sequencing with functional magentic resonance imaging in patients with major depressive disorder, a disease associated with an altered GABA-mediated response, we found that the relative abundance levels of faecal Bacteroides are negatively correlated with brain signatures associated with depression

A chronic disease outreach program for Aboriginal communities

Background. Our objective is to describe a program to improve awareness and management of hypertension, renal disease, and diabetes in 3 remote Australian Aboriginal communities. Methods. The program espouses that regular integrated checks for chronic disease and their risk factors are essential elements of regular adult health care. Programs should be run by local health workers, following algorithms for testing and treatment, with backup, usually from a distance, from nurse coordinators. Constant evaluation is essential to develop community health profiles and adapt program structure. Results. Participation ranged from 65% to 100% of adults. Forty-one percent of women and 72% of men were current smokers. Body weight varied markedly by community. Although excessive in all, rates of chronic diseases also differed markedly among communities. Rates increased with age, but the greatest numbers of people with morbidities were middle age and young adults. Multiple morbidities were common by middle age. Hypertension and renal disease were early features, whereas diabetes was a variable and later manifestation of this integrated chronic disease syndrome. Adherence to testing and treatment protocols improved markedly over time. Substantial numbers of new diagnoses were made. Blood pressure improved in people in whom antihypertensive agents were started or increased. Components of a systematic activity plan became more clearly defined with time. Treatment of people in the community with the greatest disease burden posed a large additional workload. Lack of health workers and absenteeism were major impediments to productivity. Conclusion. We cannot generalize about body habitus, and chronic disease rates among Aboriginal adults. Pilot data are needed to plan resources based on the chronic disease burden in each community. Systematic screening is useful in identifying high-risk individuals, most at an early treatable stage. Community-based health profiles provide critical information for the development of rational health policy and needs-based health services