title: Are bond critical points really critical for hydrogen bonding?

authors: Lane, Joseph R.

subjects: chemistry

abstract: Atoms in Molecules (AIM) theory is routinely used to assess hydrogen bond formation; however its stringent criteria controversially exclude some systems that otherwise appear to exhibit weak hydrogen bonds. We show that a regional analysis of the reduced density gradient, as provided by the recently introduced Non-Covalent Interactions (NCI) index, transcends AIM theory to deliver a chemically intuitive description of hydrogen bonding for a series of 1,n-alkanediols. This regional definition of interactions overcomes the known caveat of only analyzing electron density critical points. In other words, the NCI approach is a simple and elegant generalization of the bond critical point approach, which raises the title question. Namely, is it the presence of an electron density bond critical point that defines a hydrogen bond or the general topology in the region surrounding it?

text: Are bond critical points really critical for hydrogen bonding? Atoms in Molecules (AIM) theory is routinely used to assess hydrogen bond formation; however its stringent criteria controversially exclude some systems that otherwise appear to exhibit weak hydrogen bonds. We show that a regional analysis of the reduced density gradient, as provided by the recently introduced Non-Covalent Interactions (NCI) index, transcends AIM theory to deliver a chemically intuitive description of hydrogen bonding for a series of 1,n-alkanediols. This regional definition of interactions overcomes the known caveat of only analyzing electron density critical points. In other words, the NCI approach is a simple and elegant generalization of the bond critical point approach, which raises the title question. Namely, is it the presence of an electron density bond critical point that defines a hydrogen bond or the general topology in the region surrounding it?

year: 2013

title: Exploring the Acceptability, Appropriateness, and Utility of a Digital Single-Session Intervention (Project SOLVE-NZ) for Adolescent Mental Health in New Zealand: Interview Study Among Students and Teachers

authors: Blind, Morgan Taylor

subjects: adolescent

abstract: Background:
Globally, we face a significant treatment gap in mental health care, with extensive wait times, exorbitant prices, and concerns about appropriateness for non-Western clients. Digital single-session interventions (SSIs) may offer a promising alternative. SSIs target particular mechanisms that underlie broad-ranging psychopathology, including deficits in problem-solving skills.

Objective:
Developed in the United States, Project SOLVE is a digital SSI that teaches problem-solving skills to adolescents. This study evaluated the acceptability, appropriateness, and utility of an adapted version, Project SOLVE-NZ, among rangatahi (young people) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Additionally, we evaluated a comparable online activity, Project Success-NZ, as a potential active control condition in a future randomized controlled trial of Project SOLVE-NZ.

Methods:
A sample of school students and teachers completed Project SOLVE-NZ and Project Success-NZ. Feedback on the interventions was collected through focus groups and semistructured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results:
In total, 12 students (aged between 13 and 14 years; female students: n=6, 50%) participated in a focus group, and 8 teachers (teaching experience: mean 8.75, SD 7.96 years; female teachers: n=5, 62.5%) participated in individual interviews. Participants endorsed the sociocultural relevance of Project SOLVE-NZ and Project Success-NZ to rangatahi in Aotearoa New Zealand and viewed all existing adaptations favorably. Participants felt that the interventions would be valuable to a wide range of rangatahi, helping to fill gaps in students’ learning and providing benefits to mental health. Participants also believed that the interventions may be particularly relevant for youths experiencing economic hardship. Interestingly, most participants had no preference for either Project SOLVE-NZ or Project Success-NZ, and they believed that both interventions could provide ongoing support to rangatahi throughout the school year. Teachers provided some suggestions on increasing student engagement with the interventions, namely, through increased cultural and gender representation, visual and literacy aids, whakawhanaungatanga (relationship building), and teacher guidance. Overall, interviews revealed that both interventions were perceived as acceptable, appropriate, and useful for rangatahi in New Zealand and highlighted further adaptations that could be made prior to a randomized controlled trial of Project SOLVE-NZ across schools nationwide.

Conclusions:
Digital SSIs show promise in addressing the mental health treatment gap for adolescents. Both Project SOLVE-NZ and Project Success-NZ were well-received by students and teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand and may provide benefits to youth mental health. We make the following recommendations for others interested in designing digital SSIs or similar tools for young people: involve rangatahi and relevant stakeholders in the design process, consider how the intervention will be implemented, ensure that the intervention accommodates a range of cognitive abilities, and ensure that the intervention reflects the diversity of rangatahi today.

text: Exploring the Acceptability, Appropriateness, and Utility of a Digital Single-Session Intervention (Project SOLVE-NZ) for Adolescent Mental Health in New Zealand: Interview Study Among Students and Teachers Background:
Globally, we face a significant treatment gap in mental health care, with extensive wait times, exorbitant prices, and concerns about appropriateness for non-Western clients. Digital single-session interventions (SSIs) may offer a promising alternative. SSIs target particular mechanisms that underlie broad-ranging psychopathology, including deficits in problem-solving skills.

Objective:
Developed in the United States, Project SOLVE is a digital SSI that teaches problem-solving skills to adolescents. This study evaluated the acceptability, appropriateness, and utility of an adapted version, Project SOLVE-NZ, among rangatahi (young people) in Aotearoa New Zealand. Additionally, we evaluated a comparable online activity, Project Success-NZ, as a potential active control condition in a future randomized controlled trial of Project SOLVE-NZ.

Methods:
A sample of school students and teachers completed Project SOLVE-NZ and Project Success-NZ. Feedback on the interventions was collected through focus groups and semistructured interviews. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results:
In total, 12 students (aged between 13 and 14 years; female students: n=6, 50%) participated in a focus group, and 8 teachers (teaching experience: mean 8.75, SD 7.96 years; female teachers: n=5, 62.5%) participated in individual interviews. Participants endorsed the sociocultural relevance of Project SOLVE-NZ and Project Success-NZ to rangatahi in Aotearoa New Zealand and viewed all existing adaptations favorably. Participants felt that the interventions would be valuable to a wide range of rangatahi, helping to fill gaps in students’ learning and providing benefits to mental health. Participants also believed that the interventions may be particularly relevant for youths experiencing economic hardship. Interestingly, most participants had no preference for either Project SOLVE-NZ or Project Success-NZ, and they believed that both interventions could provide ongoing support to rangatahi throughout the school year. Teachers provided some suggestions on increasing student engagement with the interventions, namely, through increased cultural and gender representation, visual and literacy aids, whakawhanaungatanga (relationship building), and teacher guidance. Overall, interviews revealed that both interventions were perceived as acceptable, appropriate, and useful for rangatahi in New Zealand and highlighted further adaptations that could be made prior to a randomized controlled trial of Project SOLVE-NZ across schools nationwide.

Conclusions:
Digital SSIs show promise in addressing the mental health treatment gap for adolescents. Both Project SOLVE-NZ and Project Success-NZ were well-received by students and teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand and may provide benefits to youth mental health. We make the following recommendations for others interested in designing digital SSIs or similar tools for young people: involve rangatahi and relevant stakeholders in the design process, consider how the intervention will be implemented, ensure that the intervention accommodates a range of cognitive abilities, and ensure that the intervention reflects the diversity of rangatahi today.

year: 2026-01-13

title: Linking land, river and moana: Collaborative research between Te Whakatōhea and Lincoln University within the coastal rohe

authors: Morris, Richard

abstract: In the eastern Bay of Plenty, where the land yields to the Pacific and the Waioeka and Ōtara Rivers meet Te Moana aToi (the Bay of Plenty), a research partnership is flourishing between Te Whakatōhea iwi, Lincoln University Centre of Excellence Designing Future Productive Landscape (DFPL), and Waikato University. This collaboration has grown over several years into a suite of multidisciplinary research projects focused on agricultural systems design, urban planning, and climate resilience. While distinct in their objectives, these research threads are united by a deeper, unavoidable theme: the interconnection between whenua (land), awa (river), and moana (sea). For Te Whakatōhea, these are not separate domains but a continuous space of identity, sustenance, and economy, an ethos that sits well with DFPL.

text: Linking land, river and moana: Collaborative research between Te Whakatōhea and Lincoln University within the coastal rohe In the eastern Bay of Plenty, where the land yields to the Pacific and the Waioeka and Ōtara Rivers meet Te Moana aToi (the Bay of Plenty), a research partnership is flourishing between Te Whakatōhea iwi, Lincoln University Centre of Excellence Designing Future Productive Landscape (DFPL), and Waikato University. This collaboration has grown over several years into a suite of multidisciplinary research projects focused on agricultural systems design, urban planning, and climate resilience. While distinct in their objectives, these research threads are united by a deeper, unavoidable theme: the interconnection between whenua (land), awa (river), and moana (sea). For Te Whakatōhea, these are not separate domains but a continuous space of identity, sustenance, and economy, an ethos that sits well with DFPL.

year: 2025-11