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Peer review exercises are an essential part of many educational pedagogy models and have been shown to successfully provide undergraduate students with requisite active learning and critical reflection skills. Teaching the peer review process in an interdisciplinary honors research methods course, however, presents its own set of challenges. As students are exposed to new processes of editorial review, they are also tasked with evaluating material across subjects and discipline areas, making subjective components of editing more difficult. Authors describe a scaffolded model of peer review piloted in an interdisciplinary, upper-level honors research methods and ethics course and provide qualitative analyses of student reflections and assignment attributes to demonstrate the model's potential for student success. By presenting the peer review exercises as a series of sections that build incrementally in complexity and subjectivity (scaffolding) and dedicating class time for implementing peer-directed edits, authors provide an adaptable model that further strengthens research editing practices in honors education.

Visual exploration paradigms involving object arrays have been used to examine salience of social stimuli such as faces in ASD. Recent work suggests performance on these paradigms may associate with clinical features of ASD. We evaluate metrics from a visual exploration paradigm in 4-to-11-year-old children with ASD (n = 23; 18 males) and typical development (TD; n = 23; 13 males). Presented with arrays containing faces and nonsocial stimuli, children with ASD looked less at (p = 0.002) and showed fewer fixations to (p = 0.022) faces than TD children, and spent less time looking at each object on average (p = 0.004). Attention to the screen and faces correlated positively with social and cognitive skills in the ASD group (ps < 0.05). This work furthers our understanding of objective measures of visual exploration in ASD and its potential for quantifying features of ASD.

Abstract Electroconductive biomaterials are gaining significant consideration for regeneration in tissues where electrical functionality is of crucial importance, such as myocardium, neural, musculoskeletal, and bone tissue. In this work, conductive biohybrid platforms were engineered by blending collagen type I and 2D MXene (Ti3C2Tx) and afterwards covalently crosslinking; to harness the biofunctionality of the protein component and the increased stiffness and enhanced electrical conductivity (matching and even surpassing native tissues) that two-dimensional titanium carbide provides. These MXene platforms were highly biocompatible and resulted in increased proliferation and cell spreading when seeded with fibroblasts. Conversely, they limited bacterial attachment (Staphylococcus aureus) and proliferation. When neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (nrCMs) were cultured on the substrates increased spreading and viability up to day 7 were studied when compared to control collagen substrates. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) were seeded and stimulated using electric-field generation in a custom-made bioreactor. The combination of an electroconductive substrate with an external electrical field enhanced cell growth, and significantly increased cx43 expression. This in vitro study convincingly demonstrates the potential of this engineered conductive biohybrid platform for cardiac tissue regeneration.

Abstract Very recently, it has been reported that mixed transition metal oxide (TMO)/MXene catalysts show improved performance over TMO only catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the reasoning behind this observation is unknown. In this work mixed Co(OH)2/Ti3C2Tx were prepared and characterized for the OER using ex situ and operando spectroscopy techniques in order to initiate the understanding of why mixed TMO/MXene materials show better performances compared to TMO only catalysts. This work shows that the improved electrocatalysis for the composite material compared to the TMO only catalyst is due to the presence of higher Co oxide oxidation states at lower OER overpotentials for the mixed TMO/MXene catalysts. Furthermore, the presence of the MXene allows for a more mechanically robust film during OER, making the film more stable. Finally, our results show that small amounts of MXene are more advantageous for the OER during long-term stability measurements, which is linked to the formation of TiO2. The sensitivity of MXene oxidation ultimately limits TMO/MXene composites under alkaline OER conditions, meaning mass fractions must be carefully considered when designing such a catalyst to minimize the residual TiO2 formed during its lifetime.

Abstract Background Primary healthcare services have principal responsibility for providing child and youth wellbeing and mental health services, but have lacked appropriate measurement instruments to assess the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth or to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and services designed to meet their needs. This review assesses the availability and characteristics of measurement instruments that have been applied in primary healthcare services in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States (CANZUS countries) to assess the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth. Methods Fifteen databases and 12 websites were searched in December 2017 and again in October 2021. Pre-defined search terms pertained to Indigenous children and youth, CANZUS country names, and wellbeing or mental health measures. PRISMA guidelines were followed, with eligibility criteria guiding screening of titles and abstracts, and selected full-text papers. Results are presented based on the characteristics of documented measurement instruments assessed according to five desirability criteria: development for Indigenous youth populations, adherence to relational strength-based constructs, administration by child and or youth self-report, reliability and validity, and usefulness for identifying wellbeing or risk levels. Results Twenty-one publications were found that described the development and or use by primary healthcare services of 14 measurement instruments, employed across 30 applications. Four of the 14 measurement instruments were developed specifically for Indigenous youth populations, four focused solely on strength-based wellbeing concepts but none included all Indigenous wellbeing domains. Conclusion There is a diversity of measurement instruments available, but few fit our desirability criteria. Although it is possible that we missed relevant papers and reports, this review clearly supports the need for further research to develop, refine or adapt instruments cross-culturally to measure the wellbeing of Indigenous children and youth.

MXenes are two-dimensional nanomaterials that can be used as supercapacitors to store electrical energy. Here, the authors isolated chemical response from a single MXene flake and provide a new understanding of the surface chemistry of MXenes.

BackgroundThe advancements and abundance of mobile phones and portable health devices have created an opportunity to use mobile health (mHealth) for population health systems. There is increasing evidence for the feasibility and acceptance of mHealth with Indigenous populations. Providing a synthesis of qualitative findings of mHealth with Indigenous populations will gain insights into the strengths and challenges to mHealth use in Indigenous populations. ObjectiveThis review aimed to identify and synthesize qualitative data pertaining to the experiences and perceptions of mHealth from the perspectives of end users (patients and service providers) living in the colonial settler democracies of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the Pacific Islands, and the Sápmi region of northern Europe. MethodsIn May 2021, systematic searches of peer-reviewed, scientific papers were conducted across the 5 databases of PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Qualitative or mixed method studies were included where a mHealth intervention was the primary focus for responding to health challenges with Indigenous populations. Two authors independently screened papers for eligibility and assessed the risk of bias using a modified version of the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. A meta-aggregative approach was used to analyze the findings of included studies. ResultsSeventeen papers met the eligibility criteria, 8 studies with patients, 7 studies with service providers, and 2 studies that included both patients and service providers. Studies were conducted in Australia (n=10), Canada (n=2), New Zealand (n=2), Papua New Guinea (n=1), the United States (n=1), and Samoa (n=1). Our interpretation of these qualitative findings shows commonalities between Indigenous patients’ and service providers’ perceptions of mHealth. We summarize our findings in six themes: (1) mHealth literacy, (2) mHealth as a facilitator for connection and support, (3) mHealth content needed to be culturally relevant, (4) mHealth security and confidentiality, (5) mHealth supporting rather than replacing service providers, and (6) workplace and organizational capacity. ConclusionsThis research suggests that mHealth can meet the needs of both patients and service providers when the mHealth intervention is culturally relevant, accounts for digital and health literacy, incorporates interactive components, is supported by workplaces, fits into health provider workflows, and meets security and confidentiality standards. Future mHealth research with Indigenous populations should partner with key representatives (eg, patients, service providers, and executive leaders) in the mHealth design appropriate to the purpose, people, setting, and delivery.

25% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain minimally verbal (MV), despite intervention. Electroencephalography can reveal neural mechanisms underlying language impairment in ASD, potentially improving our ability to predict language outcomes and target interventions. Verbal (V) and MV children with ASD, along with an age-matched typically developing (TD) group participated in a semantic congruence ERP paradigm, during which pictures were displayed followed by the expected or unexpected word. An N400 effect was evident in all groups, with a shorter latency in the TD group. A late negative component (LNC) also differentiated conditions, with a group by condition by region interaction. Post hoc analyses revealed that the LNC was present across multiple regions in the TD group, in the mid-frontal region in MVASD, and not present in the VASD group. Cluster analysis identified subgroups within the ASD participants. Two subgroups showed markedly atypical patterns of processing, one with reversed but robust differentiation of conditions, and the other with initially reversed followed by typical differentiation. Findings indicate that children with ASD, including those with minimal language, showed EEG evidence of semantic processing, but it was characterized by delayed speed of processing and limited integration with mental representations.

Abstract Background Otitis media with effusion (OME) is common and occurs at disproportionately higher rates among Indigenous children. Left untreated, OME can negatively affect language, development, learning, and health and wellbeing throughout the life-course. Currently, OME care includes observation for 3 months followed by consideration of surgical ventilation tube insertion. The use of a non-invasive, low-cost nasal balloon autoinflation device has been found beneficial in other populations but has not been investigated among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Methods/design This multi-centre, open-label, randomised controlled trial will determine the effectiveness of nasal balloon autoinflation compared to no nasal balloon autoinflation, for the treatment of OME among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in Australia. Children aged 3–16 years with unilateral or bilateral OME are being recruited from Aboriginal Health Services and the community. The primary outcome is the proportion of children showing tympanometric improvement of OME at 1 month. Improvement is defined as a change from bilateral type B tympanograms to at least one type A or C1 tympanogram, or from unilateral type B tympanogram to type A or C1 tympanogram in the index ear, without deterioration (type A or C1 to type C2, C3, or B tympanogram) in the contralateral ear. A sample size of 340 children (170 in each group) at 1 month will detect an absolute difference of 15% between groups with 80% power at 5% significance. Anticipating a 15% loss to follow-up, 400 children will be randomised. The primary analysis will be by intention to treat. Secondary outcomes include tympanometric changes at 3 and 6 months, hearing at 3 months, ear health-related quality of life (OMQ-14), and cost-effectiveness. A process evaluation including perspectives of parents or carers, health care providers, and researchers on trial implementation will also be undertaken. Discussion INFLATE will answer the important clinical question of whether nasal balloon autoinflation is an effective and acceptable treatment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with OME. INFLATE will help fill the evidence gap for safe, low-cost, accessible OME therapies. Trial registration Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12617001652369 . Registered on 22 December 2017. The Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry is a primary registry of the WHO ICTRP network and includes all items from the WHO Trial Registration data set. Retrospective registration.

Abstract Background Eye tracking (ET) is a powerful methodology for studying attentional processes through quantification of eye movements. The precision, usability, and cost-effectiveness of ET render it a promising platform for developing biomarkers for use in clinical trials for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods The Autism Biomarkers Consortium for Clinical Trials conducted a multisite, observational study of 6–11-year-old children with ASD (n = 280) and typical development (TD, n = 119). The ET battery included: Activity Monitoring, Social Interactive, Static Social Scenes, Biological Motion Preference, and Pupillary Light Reflex tasks. A priori, gaze to faces in Activity Monitoring, Social Interactive, and Static Social Scenes tasks were aggregated into an Oculomotor Index of Gaze to Human Faces (OMI) as the primary outcome measure. This work reports on fundamental biomarker properties (data acquisition rates, construct validity, six-week stability, group discrimination, and clinical relationships) derived from these assays that serve as a base for subsequent development of clinical trial biomarker applications. Results All tasks exhibited excellent acquisition rates, met expectations for construct validity, had moderate or high six-week stabilities, and highlighted subsets of the ASD group with distinct biomarker performance. Within ASD, higher OMI was associated with increased memory for faces, decreased autism symptom severity, and higher verbal IQ and pragmatic communication skills. Limitations No specific interventions were administered in this study, limiting information about how ET biomarkers track or predict outcomes in response to treatment. This study did not consider co-occurrence of psychiatric conditions nor specificity in comparison with non-ASD special populations, therefore limiting our understanding of the applicability of outcomes to specific clinical contexts-of-use. Research-grade protocols and equipment were used; further studies are needed to explore deployment in less standardized contexts. Conclusions All ET tasks met expectations regarding biomarker properties, with strongest performance for tasks associated with attention to human faces and weakest performance associated with biological motion preference. Based on these data, the OMI has been accepted to the FDA’s Biomarker Qualification program, providing a path for advancing efforts to develop biomarkers for use in clinical trials.

The auto/biographical genre offers theoretical and methodological starting points that are key to a just and ecological mobilities transformation. Just as the COVID-19 pandemic response and its impacts made diverse lifecourse visible, climate change and its contingencies will have similar effects. Simultaneously, digital cultures provide new scope for practising auto/biography and telling about diverse life stories. Through a critical review of the literature and drawing on the new insights of this Special Issue, the paper argues that a research agenda grounded in the auto/biographical is a priority. In contrast to some of the anti-biographical positions that have been influential in mobilities scholarship, the paper argues that: i) the feminist auto/biographical genre accommodates a human subject that is social and historical before being individual, with its performativity being a crucial form for unheard voices to be heard; 2) that it plays a significant role in contesting the frameworks of lifecourse that inform institutional and policy contexts; and, 3) that there is scope for a re-engagement of the non-human and the more-than-human within auto/biographical studies, which though contentious, provides a way to radically re-think how diverse life stories are (im)mobile, and the ways that human and non-human lives are valued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the structure and dielectric properties of ternary A6B2O17 (A = Zr; B = Nb, Ta) thin films and ceramics. Thin films are produced via sputter deposition from dense, phase‐homogenous bulk ceramic targets, which are synthesized through a reactive sintering process at 1500°C. Crystal structure, microstructure, chemistry, and dielectric properties are characterized by X‐ray diffraction and reflectivity, atomic force microscopy, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and capacitance analysis, respectively. We observe relative permittivities approaching 60 and loss tangents <1 × 10−2 across the 103–105 Hz frequency range in the Zr6Nb2O17 and Zr6Ta2O17 phases. These observations create an opportunity space for this novel class of disordered oxide electroceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Gram-negative bloodstream infections (GNBSIs) more commonly occur in children with comorbidities and are increasingly associated with antimicrobial resistance. There are few large studies of GNBSIs in children that relate the clinical presentation, pathogen characteristics, and outcomes. Methods A 3-year prospective study of GNBSIs in children aged <18 years was conducted in 5 Australian children's hospitals between 2019 and 2021. The clinical characteristics, disease severity, and outcomes were recorded. Causative pathogens underwent antibiotic susceptibility testing and whole genome sequencing. Results There were 931 GNBSI episodes involving 818 children. Median age was 3 years (interquartile range, 0.6–8.5). A total of 576/931 episodes (62%) were community onset, though 661/931 (71%) occurred in children with comorbidities and a central venous catheter was present in 558/931 (60%). Central venous catheter (145/931) and urinary tract (149/931) were the most common sources (16% each). One hundred of 931 (11%) children required intensive care unit admission and a further 11% (105/931) developed GNBSIs in intensive care unit. A total of 659/927 (71%) isolates were Enterobacterales, of which 22% (138/630) were third-generation cephalosporin resistant (3GCR). Extended spectrum beta-lactamase genes were confirmed in 65/138 (47%) 3GCR Enterobacterales. Most common extended spectrum beta-lactamase genes were bla CTX-M-15 (34/94, 36%) and bla SHV-12 (10/94, 11%). There were 48 deaths overall and 30-day in-hospital mortality was 3% (32/931). Infections with 3GCR Enterobacterales were independently associated with higher mortality (adjusted odds ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.6–6.4). Conclusions GNBSIs in children are frequently healthcare associated and affect children younger than age 5 years. Infections with 3GCR Enterobacterales were associated with worse outcomes. These findings will inform optimal management guidelines and help prioritize future antimicrobial clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on temperature-dependent dielectric behavior of disordered ternary A6B2O17 (A = Zr, Hf; B = Nb, Ta)-form oxides in the GHz frequency range. The microwave dielectric properties including relative permittivity, dielectric loss, and temperature-dependent relative permittivity were characterized using cylindrical dielectric resonators using a resonant post measurement technique. Dielectric measurements through the resonant post method approach generally agree with dielectric measurements of A6B2O17 bulk ceramics measured through standard resonant post techniques. Coefficients describing the temperature-dependent relative permittivity for ternary A6B2O17 phases are strongly positive, suggesting contributions to polarizability arising from long-range mechanisms potentially associated with structural disorder. These observations support the working hypothesis that material functionality can be engineered by the chemical diversity and structural disorder possible in high configurational entropy A6B2O17 phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Effective management of hearing loss in adults is fundamental for communication, relationships, employment, and learning. This study examined the rates and management of self-reported hearing loss in urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults. Methods: A retrospective, observational study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged ≥15 years who had annual health checks at an urban Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary healthcare clinic in Inala, Queensland, was conducted to determine self-reported hearing loss rates by age and ethnic groups stratified by sex. A medical record audit of patients who self-reported hearing loss from January to June 2021 was performed to identify current management approaches, and the proportion of patients that were appropriately managed. Results: Of the 1735 patients (average age 40.7 years, range 15.0–88.5 years, 900 [52.0%] women) who completed 3090 health checks between July 2018 and September 2021, 18.8% self-reported hearing loss. Rates did not differ between men and women. However, significant effects were noted for age, with rates increasing from 10.7% for patients aged 15–24 years to 38.7% for those aged ≥65 years. An audit of 73 patient medical records revealed that 39.7% of patients with self-reported hearing loss were referred to Ear, Nose and Throat/audiology or received other management. A total of 17.8% of patients owned hearing aids. Conclusions: Only 40% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults who self-reported hearing loss were referred for management. Significant changes to clinical management and government-funded referral options for hearing services are required to improve the management of self-reported hearing loss in this population. Limited evidence on hearing loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults exists. In this primary care adult population, the rate of self-reported hearing loss was 18.8%. Only two in five adults received further action to manage their hearing loss with successful hearing outcomes evident. Hearing loss in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults is underreported, undermanaged, and requires urgent attention from health professionals and government policymakers to enhance its clinical management leading to improved quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]