title: Mindful publishing in the AI era: An editor’s perspective on trends, challenges, and insights in mindfulness research

authors: Medvedev, Oleg N.

abstract: In an age where AI influences many facets of academic pursuit, the dissemination of mindfulness research is undergoing significant transformation. This workshop delivers an editor's perspective on the latest trends in mindfulness research, navigating through the possibilities and perils that AI presents to scholarly publishing.
Our focus shifts to the core trends revolutionizing how mindfulness research reaches academic and public domains. We delve into how AI impacts the success rates of paper acceptance and publication, and the broader implications for researchers striving to contribute novel insights in a highly competitive space. This discussion will outline the increased efficiency and new opportunities for disseminating research findings, while also considering the challenges of maintaining rigorous peer-review standards in the fast-paced digital era.
From an editorial vantage point, we share insights on harnessing AI to enhance the visibility and impact of mindfulness studies, and how this influences the themes and narratives that gain prominence in the literature. The talk will reflect on the emerging challenges such as ensuring the ethical use of AI, addressing the digital divide in research accessibility, and preserving the integrity of mindfulness as a discipline amidst rapid technological change.
This workshop presentation aims to equip researchers with an understanding of current publishing trends, stimulate discussion on overcoming associated challenges, and inspire innovative approaches to sharing their work effectively. Attendees will leave with a clearer vision for navigating the evolving landscape of mindfulness research publication in the era of AI integration.

text: Mindful publishing in the AI era: An editor’s perspective on trends, challenges, and insights in mindfulness research In an age where AI influences many facets of academic pursuit, the dissemination of mindfulness research is undergoing significant transformation. This workshop delivers an editor's perspective on the latest trends in mindfulness research, navigating through the possibilities and perils that AI presents to scholarly publishing.
Our focus shifts to the core trends revolutionizing how mindfulness research reaches academic and public domains. We delve into how AI impacts the success rates of paper acceptance and publication, and the broader implications for researchers striving to contribute novel insights in a highly competitive space. This discussion will outline the increased efficiency and new opportunities for disseminating research findings, while also considering the challenges of maintaining rigorous peer-review standards in the fast-paced digital era.
From an editorial vantage point, we share insights on harnessing AI to enhance the visibility and impact of mindfulness studies, and how this influences the themes and narratives that gain prominence in the literature. The talk will reflect on the emerging challenges such as ensuring the ethical use of AI, addressing the digital divide in research accessibility, and preserving the integrity of mindfulness as a discipline amidst rapid technological change.
This workshop presentation aims to equip researchers with an understanding of current publishing trends, stimulate discussion on overcoming associated challenges, and inspire innovative approaches to sharing their work effectively. Attendees will leave with a clearer vision for navigating the evolving landscape of mindfulness research publication in the era of AI integration.

year: 2024

title: Contrasting hydrodynamic regimes of submerged pinnacle and emergent coral reefs.

authors: Galbraith, Gemma F.

subjects: Animals

abstract: Hydrodynamics on coral reefs vary with depth, reef morphology and seascape position. Differences in hydrodynamic regimes strongly influence the structure and function of coral reef ecosystems. Submerged coral reefs on steep-sided, conical bathymetric features like seamounts experience enhanced water circulation as a result of interactions between currents and the abrupt physical structure. There may also be similar interactions between smaller pinnacles and regional water currents in offshore locations (crests > 10 m), while shallow reefs (crests <10 m) may be more subject to surface currents driven by wind, waves and tide. Here we tested whether coral pinnacles experienced stronger and more variable currents compared to emergent reefs at the same depth in both nearshore and offshore positions. Current speeds and temperature were monitored for 12 months at 11 reefs, representing the three different reef categories: submerged offshore pinnacles, emergent offshore reefs and emergent nearshore reefs. We found different patterns in current speeds and temperature among reef types throughout the year and between seasons. Submerged pinnacles exhibited stronger, more variable current speeds compared to both near and offshore emergent reefs. We found seasonal changes in current speeds for pinnacle and nearshore reefs but no variation in current strength on offshore reefs. Whilst instantaneous current directions did reflect the seascape position of individual sites, there was no difference in the directional variability of current speeds between reef types. Annual daily average temperatures at all reef types were not strongly seasonal, changing by less than 2 °C throughout the year. Daily temperature ranges at specific sites however, exhibited considerable variability (annual range of up to 6.5 °C), particularly amongst offshore emergent reefs which experienced the highest temperatures despite greater exposure to regional-scale circulation patterns. Additionally, we found a consistent mismatch between satellite sea surface temperatures and in-situ temperature data, which was on average 2 °C cooler throughout the annual study period. Our results suggest that distinct hydrodynamic processes occur on smaller submerged structures that are physically analogous to seamounts. Our findings highlight important nuances in environmental processes that occur on morphologically distinct coral reef habitats and these are likely to be important drivers for the community dynamics of organisms that inhabit these reefs.

text: Contrasting hydrodynamic regimes of submerged pinnacle and emergent coral reefs. Hydrodynamics on coral reefs vary with depth, reef morphology and seascape position. Differences in hydrodynamic regimes strongly influence the structure and function of coral reef ecosystems. Submerged coral reefs on steep-sided, conical bathymetric features like seamounts experience enhanced water circulation as a result of interactions between currents and the abrupt physical structure. There may also be similar interactions between smaller pinnacles and regional water currents in offshore locations (crests > 10 m), while shallow reefs (crests <10 m) may be more subject to surface currents driven by wind, waves and tide. Here we tested whether coral pinnacles experienced stronger and more variable currents compared to emergent reefs at the same depth in both nearshore and offshore positions. Current speeds and temperature were monitored for 12 months at 11 reefs, representing the three different reef categories: submerged offshore pinnacles, emergent offshore reefs and emergent nearshore reefs. We found different patterns in current speeds and temperature among reef types throughout the year and between seasons. Submerged pinnacles exhibited stronger, more variable current speeds compared to both near and offshore emergent reefs. We found seasonal changes in current speeds for pinnacle and nearshore reefs but no variation in current strength on offshore reefs. Whilst instantaneous current directions did reflect the seascape position of individual sites, there was no difference in the directional variability of current speeds between reef types. Annual daily average temperatures at all reef types were not strongly seasonal, changing by less than 2 °C throughout the year. Daily temperature ranges at specific sites however, exhibited considerable variability (annual range of up to 6.5 °C), particularly amongst offshore emergent reefs which experienced the highest temperatures despite greater exposure to regional-scale circulation patterns. Additionally, we found a consistent mismatch between satellite sea surface temperatures and in-situ temperature data, which was on average 2 °C cooler throughout the annual study period. Our results suggest that distinct hydrodynamic processes occur on smaller submerged structures that are physically analogous to seamounts. Our findings highlight important nuances in environmental processes that occur on morphologically distinct coral reef habitats and these are likely to be important drivers for the community dynamics of organisms that inhabit these reefs.

year: 2022-08-12

title: "That's the price we pay": Kaupapa Māori Programme stakeholder experiences of external evaluation

authors: Masters-Awatere, Bridgette

subjects: Evaluation

abstract: This thesis takes a critical approach to the evaluation of Māori social and health service provision progammes through an in-depth exploration of the dynamics, impacts and politics of such exercises within Māori communities, and upon relationships between Māori and the Crown, and its agents. Since the mid 1980s, New Zealand government devolved responsibilities that heralded a change in economic focus and provided a pathway for targeted service provision, such as social and health programmes, amongst communities. The combined shift to Neoliberal economics and the virtual hegemony enjoyed by right wing economic commentators, policy-makers and business leaders meant that newly anointed Māori service providers were not fully prepared for the subsequent rise in demand for narrowly defined accountability requirements that did not reflect Māori aspirations or values.

This study sought to critically engage with the experiences of stakeholders affected by an external evaluation of “By Māori, for Māori” services. Qualitative data capturing stakeholder narratives, demonstrated the complex relationships and range of emotions experienced by programme stakeholders. Four case studies contain stories that highlight: service provider relationships built on betrayal that contributed to programme tensions and influenced the design of the evaluation; different stakeholder information needs that shaped their expectation of an evaluation; service provider vulnerability when implementing cultural values with their funder, who then seeks financial gain from that knowledge, and; the close links of Kaupapa Māori programmes and their evaluations to socio-cultural and political agendas.

The cases highlight ways Māori evaluators operated from a reflexive approach that recognised two worldviews (Mātauranga Māori and the dominant models of Western social science) and sought to facilitate engaged evaluation relationships with different stakeholders. A proposed Cultural Confluent Evaluation model lays out the dynamics and tensions in an attempt to make visible the underlying agendas, but also the glossed ideologies of power and control attached to conventional evaluations. As existing programmes continue to be examined for their cultural responsiveness, and as new culturally-centred programmes are proposed, the need for culturally embedded evaluation is even more evident.

text: "That's the price we pay": Kaupapa Māori Programme stakeholder experiences of external evaluation This thesis takes a critical approach to the evaluation of Māori social and health service provision progammes through an in-depth exploration of the dynamics, impacts and politics of such exercises within Māori communities, and upon relationships between Māori and the Crown, and its agents. Since the mid 1980s, New Zealand government devolved responsibilities that heralded a change in economic focus and provided a pathway for targeted service provision, such as social and health programmes, amongst communities. The combined shift to Neoliberal economics and the virtual hegemony enjoyed by right wing economic commentators, policy-makers and business leaders meant that newly anointed Māori service providers were not fully prepared for the subsequent rise in demand for narrowly defined accountability requirements that did not reflect Māori aspirations or values.

This study sought to critically engage with the experiences of stakeholders affected by an external evaluation of “By Māori, for Māori” services. Qualitative data capturing stakeholder narratives, demonstrated the complex relationships and range of emotions experienced by programme stakeholders. Four case studies contain stories that highlight: service provider relationships built on betrayal that contributed to programme tensions and influenced the design of the evaluation; different stakeholder information needs that shaped their expectation of an evaluation; service provider vulnerability when implementing cultural values with their funder, who then seeks financial gain from that knowledge, and; the close links of Kaupapa Māori programmes and their evaluations to socio-cultural and political agendas.

The cases highlight ways Māori evaluators operated from a reflexive approach that recognised two worldviews (Mātauranga Māori and the dominant models of Western social science) and sought to facilitate engaged evaluation relationships with different stakeholders. A proposed Cultural Confluent Evaluation model lays out the dynamics and tensions in an attempt to make visible the underlying agendas, but also the glossed ideologies of power and control attached to conventional evaluations. As existing programmes continue to be examined for their cultural responsiveness, and as new culturally-centred programmes are proposed, the need for culturally embedded evaluation is even more evident.

year: 2015