A Geography of Water Matters in the Ord Catchment, Northern Australia

This thesis examines water matters in the Ord catchment. It shows how social, environmental, cultural and economic dynamics are manifest in water matters. In so doing, it critiques material and discursive practices that create environmental injustices, and highlights efforts underway to remedy thoes. The thesis makes two major contributions. First, to dissect water politics in the Ord through the prism of how water matters - from water supply and sanitation, to water allocations for cultural flows. Second, to demonstrate a theoretical means twoards this end, by combining political ecology and environmental justice with a Masseyian spatial approach. Water, as a physical substance, makes tangible invisible power relations. To consider this, the thesis marries political ecology, with its focus on how power and politics help shape human-environment relationships, to environmental justice. A politics of difference informs the particular type of environmental justice drawn on here: it asks whether there is recognition of difference, plurality of participation, and equity in distribution of benefits, in environmental matters (Schlosberg, 2004). This nuanced theoretical terrain blends well with a Masseyian spatial approach that acknowledges places as made of 'loose ends and missing links' (Massey, 2005:12). The latter holds that places are never finished, are always being made, while the former analyses how power relations operate through processes.The thesis presents water matters as contested yet crucial to making sense of social-environmental matters; through contextaulising governance transformations and current water dilemmas, the shape of this contestation becomes clear. This involves spaces of interests coming together, and spaces where interests remain apart. These gaps are renegotiated through instruments such as the Ord Final Agreement. However, fraught water matters do persist, in part due to the complex place-based politics of water in the Ord that include Indigenous politics, environmental contestation, development processes, and a recent colonising history

"You Don't Realize That You Feel Safe Until You Don't": Women's Stories of Dating Violence

Despite decades of activism and research concerning violence against women, young women continue to be victimized in both public and private domains. Movements such as #MeToo show the widespread and pervasive nature of gender-based violence, as well as the utility of sharing stories of trauma to connect and empower victims. Victims of gender-based violence (forms of which include dating violence and sexual assault) often hesitate to seek much-needed support for fear that their experiences will be dismissed or devalued by loved ones and social systems alike. As part of a larger study on the use of Digital Storytelling to empower survivors of dating violence, individual narrative interviews were conducted with 5 women exposed to wide-ranging forms of dating violence, such as severe physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, as well as stalking. Using thematic analysis, four overarching themes were found: Experiences of Dating Violence, Trying to Understand the Partner and the Relationship, Outside Responses and Systemic Barriers, and finally, Mental Health, Identity, and Long-Term Impacts of Dating Violence. Within these overarching themes, subthemes included topics such as control and insidious abuse, social media as a site of power and control tactics, sexual coercion and abuse, safety and triggers, PTSD and depression, and making meaning of experiences of dating violence. The content of these narratives will be useful for service providers and community members seeking to understand the many dimensions and far-reaching impacts of dating violence, a topic which is inherently difficult to study (Snyder, 2019)

LGBTQ+ Health Research Guides: A Cross-institutional Pilot Study of Usage Patterns

Objectives: Multiple authors have recommended that health sciences libraries use research guides to promote LGBTQ+ health information, connect with their users and the community, and improve health equity. However, little is known about LGBTQ+ health guide usage patterns and whether such guides really meet the information needs of their users. Based on usage patterns from LGBTQ+ health research guides, we assessed the types of LGBTQ+ health information of greatest interest to health sciences library users and how, if appropriate, these guides might be revised to be more relevant to user needs. Methods: The data for LGBTQ+ health research guides of five health sciences libraries (three in the United States and two in Canada) were studied. Usage data were retrieved for a three year period (July 2018-June 2021). Two separate factors were chosen for analysis: monthly guide usage over time and the individual types of resources used. Monthly usage was studied by generating line graphs in Excel with trendlines to calculate overall guide usage trends. To determine the most sought-after types of resources by users, clicks for individual resources were categorized by type and focus using open coding in Google Sheets. Results: Overall guide usage was mixed, with some libraries’ guides trending upward over time and others downward. Analysis of the resource links showed that links to local and community health resources were among the most heavily clicked (64.11% of clicks), as were resources designed to help patients find healthcare providers and services (53.23%). Links to library-owned resources, such as books, journals, and databases, were generally clicked less (2.44%), as were links aimed at healthcare professionals (11.36%). Conclusions: The usage statistics for the guides were relatively low. However, the size of the LGBTQ+ community is relatively low compared to the general population and therefore LGBTQ+ health can be considered a category of minority health. We argue that the importance of providing quality LGBTQ+ health information outweighs any concerns of large-scale usage, and that providing such guides promotes health equity. The higher usage numbers for local resources supports the idea that guides are most useful when they link users to services and providers in their own communities. This suggests a best practice for librarians to focus on local resources and collaborations, and on consumer health resources, when creating and editing these guides

An authentic learner-centered planetary health assignment: A five-year evaluation of student choices to address Sustainable Development Goal 13 (Climate Action)

A Code Red has been declared for the planet and human health. Climate change (e.g., increasing temperatures, adverse weather events, rising sea levels) threatens the planet's already declining ecosystems. Without urgent action, all of Earth's inhabitants face an existential threat. Health professions education should therefore prepare learners to not only practice in a changing world, but authentic educational activities should also develop competencies for global and planetary citizenship. Planetary health has been integrated across the five-year Bond University (Australia) medical curriculum. It begins in the second week of Year 1 and ends with a session on Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare in the General Practice rotation in the final year. The purpose of this article is to describe the outcomes of the first 5 years (2018–2022) of a learner-centered planetary health assignment, underpinned by the 2030 United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in the second year of a five-year medical program. Using systems and/or design thinking with a focus on SDG13 (Climate Action) plus a second SDG of choice, self-selected teams of 4–6 students submit a protocol (with feedback) to develop a deliverable “product” for an intended audience. Data analysis of the first 5 years of implementation found that the most frequently selected SDGs in addition to SDG13 were: SDG12 Sustainable Production and Consumption (41% of teams), mostly relating to healthcare emissions and waste; SDG3 Health and Well-being (22%), generally involving the impact of air pollution; and SDG6 Clean Water and Sanitation (15%). A survey at the concluding conference garnered student feedback across various criteria. The planetary health assignment is authentic in that teams provide solutions to address climate change. Where appropriate, final “products” are sent to local or federal ministers for consideration (e.g., policy proposals) or integrated into the curriculum (e.g., learning modules). We believe that the competencies, attitudes, and values fostered through engagement with planetary health. Throughout the medical program, as evidenced by their evaluations, stands students in good stead to be change agents, not only in clinical practice but in society. An awareness has been created about the need for planetary citizenship in addition to global citizenship

A comparison of dermal toxicity models; assessing suitability for safe(r)-by-design decision-making and for screening nanomaterial hazards

The objective of Safe-by-Design (SbD) is to support the development of safer products and production processes, and enable safe use throughout a materials' life cycle; an intervention at an early stage of innovation can greatly benefit industry by reducing costs associated with the development of products later found to elicit harmful effects. Early hazard screening can support this process, and is needed for all of the expected nanomaterial exposure routes, including inhalation, ingestion and dermal. In this study, we compare in vitro and ex vivo cell models that represent dermal exposures (including HaCaT cells, primary keratinocytes, and reconstructed human epidermis (RhE)), and when possible consider these in the context of regulatory accepted OECD TG for in vitro dermal irritation. Various benchmark nanomaterials were used to assess markers of cell stress in each cell model. In addition, we evaluated different dosing strategies that have been used when applying the OECD TG for dermal irritation in assessment of nanomaterials, and how inconsistencies in the approach used can have considerable impact of the conclusions made. Although we could not demonstrate alignment of all models used, there was an indication that the simpler in vitro cell model aligned more closely with RhE tissue than ex vivo primary keratinocytes, supporting the use of HaCaT cells for screening of dermal toxicity of nanomaterials and in early-stage SbD decision-making

The attentional blink is related to phonemic decoding, but not sight-word recognition, in typically reading adults

This research investigated the relationship between the attentional blink (AB) and reading in typical adults. The AB is a deficit in the processing of the second of two rapidly presented targets when it occurs in close temporal proximity to the first target. Specifically, this experiment examined whether the AB was related to both phonological and sight-word reading abilities, and whether the relationship was mediated by accuracy on a single-target rapid serial visual processing task (single-target accuracy). Undergraduate university students completed a battery of tests measuring reading ability, non-verbal intelligence, and rapid automatised naming, in addition to rapid serial visual presentation tasks in which they were required to identify either two (AB task) or one (single target task) target/s (outlined shapes: circle, square, diamond, cross, and triangle) in a stream of random-dot distractors. The duration of the AB was related to phonological reading (n=41, ß=-0.43): participants who exhibited longer ABs had poorer phonemic decoding skills. The AB was not related to sight-word reading. Single-target accuracy did not mediate the relationship between the AB and reading, but was significantly related to AB depth (non-linear fit, R2 = .50): depth reflects the maximal cost in T2 reporting accuracy in the AB. The differential relationship between the AB and phonological versus sight-word reading implicates common resources used for phonemic decoding and target consolidation, which may be involved in cognitive control. The relationship between single-target accuracy and the AB is discussed in terms of cognitive preparation

Methods for broad-scale plant phenology assessments using citizen scientists’ photographs

© 2020 Barve et al. Applications in Plant Sciences is published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of the Botanical Society of America Premise: Citizen science platforms for sharing photographed digital vouchers, such as iNaturalist, are a promising source of phenology data, but methods and best practices for use have not been developed. Here we introduce methods using Yucca flowering phenology as a case study, because drivers of Yucca phenology are not well understood despite the need to synchronize flowering with obligate pollinators. There is also evidence of recent anomalous winter flowering events, but with unknown spatiotemporal extents. Methods: We collaboratively developed a rigorous, consensus-based approach for annotating and sharing whole plant and flower presence data from iNaturalist and applied it to Yucca records. We compared spatiotemporal flowering coverage from our annotations with other broad-scale monitoring networks (e.g., the National Phenology Network) in order to determine the unique value of photograph-based citizen science resources. Results: Annotations from iNaturalist were uniquely able to delineate extents of unusual flowering events in Yucca. These events, which occurred in two different regions of the Desert Southwest, did not appear to disrupt the typical-period flowering. Discussion: Our work demonstrates that best practice approaches to scoring iNaturalist records provide fine-scale delimitation of phenological events. This approach can be applied to other plant groups to better understand how phenology responds to changing climate

Combatting a "Twin-demic": A quantitative assessment of COVID-19 and influenza vaccine hesitancy in primary care patients

Background: Public health officials anticipate severe health outcomes amidst the circulation of two major viruses, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and influenza. This study investigated intent to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and influenza, and sought to identify attitudes towards vaccines and barriers for vaccine acceptance. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted in the Louisiana State University Medicine Clinic from September 2020 to December 2020. Intent to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 and influenza virus was assessed through a brief questionnaire. Additionally, hesitancy and attitudes regarding vaccines were ascertained using validated 5-point Likert scales. In total, 280 patients completed the questionnaire. Results: A total of 248 patients were included in the final analysis. Overall 167 (67%, 95% CI = 61.1-73.0%) of patients were unsure or did not intend to be vaccinated against COVID-19, while only 19.3% (95% CI = 14.4-24.5%) were unsure or did not intend to be vaccinated against the influenza vaccine. Reasons for COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy included concern regarding side effects, fear of getting sick from the vaccine, and the absence of vaccine recommendations from their doctor. Concerningly, African American patients demonstrated decreased likelihood of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion: This survey revealed that only 1 in 3 adults intended to be vaccinated against COVID-19, while 8 out of 10 adults intended to receive the influenza vaccine. Patients who intended on getting the COVID-19 vaccine were less likely to be African American. Given the degree of hesitancy against COVID-19 vaccination, a multifaceted approach to facilitate vaccine uptake that includes vaccine education, behavioral change strategies, and health promotion, is paramount