title: Do‐it‐yourself continuous glucose monitoring in people aged 16 to 69 years with type 1 diabetes: A qualitative study

authors: Sehgal, Shekhar

abstract: Aims: In many countries, real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rt- CGM) is not funded, and cost presents a barrier to access. A do-it-yourself conversion of intermittently scanned  CGM  (DIY-  CGM)  is a  cheaper alternative.  This qualitative study aimed to explore user experiences with DIY- CGM in people aged 16 to 69 years with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants for semi-structured virtual interviews exploring experiences of DIY- CGM use. Participants were recruited after completing the intervention arm of a crossover randomised controlled trial that evaluated  DIY-  CGM  versus intermittently scanned  CGM  (isCGM).  Participants were previously naive to  DIY-  CGM  and rt-  CGM  but not isCGM. The DIY- CGM intervention consisted of a Bluetooth bridge connected to isCGM, adding rt- CGM functionality over 8 weeks. Interviews were transcribed, then thematic analysis was performed.
Results: Interviews were with  12  people aged  16  to  65  years,  with  T1D:  mean age ± SD  43 ±14 years; baseline mean HbA1c ± SD  60 mmol/mol ± 9.9  (7.6 ± 0.9%) and time in range 59.8% ±   14.8%. Participants perceived that using DIY- CGM improved both glycaemic control and aspects of quality of life.  Alarm and trend functionality allowed participants to perceive reduced glycaemic variability overnight and following meals. The addition of a smartwatch increased discrete access to glucose information.  There was a  high degree of trust in  DIY-  CGM.  Challenges while using DIY- CGM included signal loss during vigorous exercise, alarm fatigue and short battery life. 
Conclusions: This study suggests that for users, DIY- CGM appears to be an acceptable alternative method of rt- CGM.

text: Do‐it‐yourself continuous glucose monitoring in people aged 16 to 69 years with type 1 diabetes: A qualitative study Aims: In many countries, real-time continuous glucose monitoring (rt- CGM) is not funded, and cost presents a barrier to access. A do-it-yourself conversion of intermittently scanned  CGM  (DIY-  CGM)  is a  cheaper alternative.  This qualitative study aimed to explore user experiences with DIY- CGM in people aged 16 to 69 years with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Methods: Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants for semi-structured virtual interviews exploring experiences of DIY- CGM use. Participants were recruited after completing the intervention arm of a crossover randomised controlled trial that evaluated  DIY-  CGM  versus intermittently scanned  CGM  (isCGM).  Participants were previously naive to  DIY-  CGM  and rt-  CGM  but not isCGM. The DIY- CGM intervention consisted of a Bluetooth bridge connected to isCGM, adding rt- CGM functionality over 8 weeks. Interviews were transcribed, then thematic analysis was performed.
Results: Interviews were with  12  people aged  16  to  65  years,  with  T1D:  mean age ± SD  43 ±14 years; baseline mean HbA1c ± SD  60 mmol/mol ± 9.9  (7.6 ± 0.9%) and time in range 59.8% ±   14.8%. Participants perceived that using DIY- CGM improved both glycaemic control and aspects of quality of life.  Alarm and trend functionality allowed participants to perceive reduced glycaemic variability overnight and following meals. The addition of a smartwatch increased discrete access to glucose information.  There was a  high degree of trust in  DIY-  CGM.  Challenges while using DIY- CGM included signal loss during vigorous exercise, alarm fatigue and short battery life. 
Conclusions: This study suggests that for users, DIY- CGM appears to be an acceptable alternative method of rt- CGM.

year: 2023-06-18

title: Living standards, well-being, and public policy

authors: Weijers, Dan M.

abstract: It has been five years since the publication of the Treasury paper that first set out its Living Standards Framework (LSF) (Treasury 2011). Since then, the LSF has become an increasingly central part of Treasury’s strategic direction. Treasury is now explicit about its aspiration to be “working towards higher living standards for New Zealanders” (Treasury 2015a), and the LSF itself has been used across a wide range of Treasury’s policy advising work (Treasury 2015c).
But after five years of implementation and development, there remain questions about what exactly the LSF is and how it ought to, or could be, used by Treasury. The aim of this paper is to provide answers to these sorts of questions. It is intended as an update of Treasury’s 2011 paper, drawing on the rapid developments in the academic and policy literature on wellbeing in the last five years. We argue that the LSF can be understood as a wellbeing framework that articulates, justifies and helps enable the provision of comprehensive economic policy advice that improves wellbeing. The remainder of this introduction clarifies the main claims we will be advancing in this paper.

text: Living standards, well-being, and public policy It has been five years since the publication of the Treasury paper that first set out its Living Standards Framework (LSF) (Treasury 2011). Since then, the LSF has become an increasingly central part of Treasury’s strategic direction. Treasury is now explicit about its aspiration to be “working towards higher living standards for New Zealanders” (Treasury 2015a), and the LSF itself has been used across a wide range of Treasury’s policy advising work (Treasury 2015c).
But after five years of implementation and development, there remain questions about what exactly the LSF is and how it ought to, or could be, used by Treasury. The aim of this paper is to provide answers to these sorts of questions. It is intended as an update of Treasury’s 2011 paper, drawing on the rapid developments in the academic and policy literature on wellbeing in the last five years. We argue that the LSF can be understood as a wellbeing framework that articulates, justifies and helps enable the provision of comprehensive economic policy advice that improves wellbeing. The remainder of this introduction clarifies the main claims we will be advancing in this paper.

year: 2016

title: The use of functionalised biochar to enhance phosphorus removal in woodchip bioreactors. The integration of mātauranga Māori to enhance the cultural aspects of woodchip bioreactors.

authors: Taoho, Brandon

subjects: Woodchip bioreactor

abstract: Nutrient pollution, resulting from excessive releases of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) into waterways, poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Elevated nutrient levels can result in eutrophication, which can have detrimental effects on the health of waterbodies and their biota. Woodchip bioreactors are effective, edge-of-field technologies that can help mitigate nutrient pollution by lowering nutrient concentrations in agricultural drainage systems known to carry leached N and P into waterways. However, one limitation to their design is their ineffectiveness at removing P. The inclusion of functionalised biochar is one potential solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors. There is a growing need to mitigate nutrient pollution in New Zealand that does not depend on a western-centric perspective only. Integration of mātauranga Māori and western science into the design and operations of a woodchip bioreactor is one approach to incorporate both knowledge systems to the goal of mitigating nutrient pollution. In this dissertation, a column experiment was used to compare the P removal efficiencies of two treatments of functionalised biochar, and one treatment of woodchips when subjected to stream water spiked with P. Subsequently, a single phosphate extraction was done to determine the phosphate absorption capacities of each treatment. The results showed that the two functionalised biochar treatments had the highest efficacy in reducing P concentrations in the P-spiked stream water compared to the woodchip-only treatment. Both treatments also showed higher P absorption, evidenced from the Fe-P/Feox ratio, within the phosphate extraction experiment. A wānanga was organised at Matahuru Marae, Lake Waikare, to share mātauranga Māori on how to culturally enhance woodchip bioreactors from a Te Ao Māori perspective. Participants recommended that native woodchips be incorporated into woodchip bioreactors because of their inherent association to the land and people. Overall, the results implied that functionalised biochar is an effective solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors due to their biophysical properties to absorb and retain P. Secondly, incorporating native woodchips into woodchip bioreactors systems potentially offers a sustainable and culturally respected alternative to conventional wood chips, aligning with Māori values and tikanga

text: The use of functionalised biochar to enhance phosphorus removal in woodchip bioreactors. The integration of mātauranga Māori to enhance the cultural aspects of woodchip bioreactors. Nutrient pollution, resulting from excessive releases of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) into waterways, poses a significant threat to aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Elevated nutrient levels can result in eutrophication, which can have detrimental effects on the health of waterbodies and their biota. Woodchip bioreactors are effective, edge-of-field technologies that can help mitigate nutrient pollution by lowering nutrient concentrations in agricultural drainage systems known to carry leached N and P into waterways. However, one limitation to their design is their ineffectiveness at removing P. The inclusion of functionalised biochar is one potential solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors. There is a growing need to mitigate nutrient pollution in New Zealand that does not depend on a western-centric perspective only. Integration of mātauranga Māori and western science into the design and operations of a woodchip bioreactor is one approach to incorporate both knowledge systems to the goal of mitigating nutrient pollution. In this dissertation, a column experiment was used to compare the P removal efficiencies of two treatments of functionalised biochar, and one treatment of woodchips when subjected to stream water spiked with P. Subsequently, a single phosphate extraction was done to determine the phosphate absorption capacities of each treatment. The results showed that the two functionalised biochar treatments had the highest efficacy in reducing P concentrations in the P-spiked stream water compared to the woodchip-only treatment. Both treatments also showed higher P absorption, evidenced from the Fe-P/Feox ratio, within the phosphate extraction experiment. A wānanga was organised at Matahuru Marae, Lake Waikare, to share mātauranga Māori on how to culturally enhance woodchip bioreactors from a Te Ao Māori perspective. Participants recommended that native woodchips be incorporated into woodchip bioreactors because of their inherent association to the land and people. Overall, the results implied that functionalised biochar is an effective solution to enhance P removal in woodchip bioreactors due to their biophysical properties to absorb and retain P. Secondly, incorporating native woodchips into woodchip bioreactors systems potentially offers a sustainable and culturally respected alternative to conventional wood chips, aligning with Māori values and tikanga

year: 2023