title: Hā Ora: secondary care barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer for Māori communities.

authors: Kidd, Jacquie

subjects: Barriers

abstract: BACKGROUND: Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori communities in particular have higher incidence and mortality rates from Lung Cancer. Diagnosis of lung cancer at an early stage can allow for curative treatment. This project aimed to document the barriers to early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in secondary care for Māori communities. 
METHODS: This project used a kaupapa Māori approach. Nine community hui (focus groups) and nine primary healthcare provider hui were carried out in five rural localities in the Midland region. Community hui included cancer patients, whānau (families), and other community members. Healthcare provider hui comprised staff members at the local primary healthcare centre, including General Practitioners and nurses. Hui data were thematically analysed. 
RESULTS: Barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer were categorised into two broad themes: Specialist services and treatment, and whānau journey. The barriers and enablers that participants experienced in specialist services and treatment related to access to care, engagement with specialists, communication with specialist services and cultural values and respect, whereas barriers and enablers relating to the whānau journey focused on agency and the impact on whānau. 
CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the need to improve communication within and across healthcare services, the importance of understanding the cultural needs of patients and whānau and a health system strategy that meets these needs. Findings also demonstrated the resilience of Māori and the active efforts of whānau as carers to foster health literacy in future generations.

text: Hā Ora: secondary care barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer for Māori communities. BACKGROUND: Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Aotearoa New Zealand. Māori communities in particular have higher incidence and mortality rates from Lung Cancer. Diagnosis of lung cancer at an early stage can allow for curative treatment. This project aimed to document the barriers to early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer in secondary care for Māori communities. 
METHODS: This project used a kaupapa Māori approach. Nine community hui (focus groups) and nine primary healthcare provider hui were carried out in five rural localities in the Midland region. Community hui included cancer patients, whānau (families), and other community members. Healthcare provider hui comprised staff members at the local primary healthcare centre, including General Practitioners and nurses. Hui data were thematically analysed. 
RESULTS: Barriers and enablers to early diagnosis of lung cancer were categorised into two broad themes: Specialist services and treatment, and whānau journey. The barriers and enablers that participants experienced in specialist services and treatment related to access to care, engagement with specialists, communication with specialist services and cultural values and respect, whereas barriers and enablers relating to the whānau journey focused on agency and the impact on whānau. 
CONCLUSIONS: The study highlighted the need to improve communication within and across healthcare services, the importance of understanding the cultural needs of patients and whānau and a health system strategy that meets these needs. Findings also demonstrated the resilience of Māori and the active efforts of whānau as carers to foster health literacy in future generations.

year: 2021

title: The role of mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) riparian plantings in the mitigation of diffuse agricultural nitrogen

authors: Adamson, Olivia María

subjects: Manuka

abstract: The disruption of nutrient cycles in agricultural settings, particularly pastoral farming, is responsible for up to 70% of the nitrogen (N) loads entering streams in New Zealand (NZ) — resulting in the widespread degradation of freshwater ecosystems. Riparian plantings are one strategy to mitigate the losses of N from land to water, removing N by denitrification and plant uptake. Some types of vegetation are more effective than others at intercepting N, due to their ecology, impact on soil quality and root exudates. Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is a plant native to NZ, and the species could be a good candidate to mitigate N losses due its ability to tolerate high N loads and co-benefits such as farm diversification through apiculture or essential oil production. Previous work also suggests that L. scoparium could be a biological nitrification inhibitor (BNI), limiting nitrate (NO₃⁻) production in soil.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of mānuka to intercept and remove N in an experimental riparian buffer in Lake Waikare. Currently, the lake is eutrophic due to high nutrient and sediment inputs. Significant restoration efforts have been made in recent years, led by many hapuu around the lake. All are very passionate and determined to recover the mauri of this ecosystem and reconnect the people to the lake, as well as provide economic opportunities. The riparian band had been established for four years and was set up as a series of experimental plots with different vegetation types, including plots solely in mānuka, and grassed controls. The plots are on a Perch- Gley Ultic Soil underlain by a slowly permeable clay layer— the Hamilton Ash. Further, the study sought to explore the relationship between soil physical properties and N cycling, and to identify influences expected by the local hydrology— as there was evidence of perching and lateral flow in the site. A series of suction-cup lysimeters were installed and pore water was sampled seven times between May and July 2021. Samples were analysed for total N (TN), total Kjeldahl N (TKN), NO₃⁻ and ammonium (NH₄⁺).

The results show that the riparian buffer is effectively removing N from subsurface flows, with TN declining from an average of 9.32 mg/l at 1 m into the buffer to 2.03 mg/l at 7 m. Although N concentrations were higher under mānuka, the total amount of N extracted from those plots was 21% less due to high rainfall interception by the canopy (63.9%), limiting the transport of the solute. Indicators of soil physical quality, bulk density (ρb) and macroporosity (MP), were investigated as potential causes for differences in the movement of N. There was a 17% improvement in ρb, and 38% improvement in MP relative to 2017 measurements, before the riparian band was established. No appreciable differences in soil physical properties were found between vegetation types at this early stage in the inception of the riparian buffer, although changes are likely to occur as the mānuka trees mature and the impact of roots is more developed. Shallow wells were deployed to monitor the dynamics of the water table, as there was evidence of winter perching. Dip wells demonstrated the existence of a short- lived perched water table, resulting in lateral flow, and likely impacting the degree of soil gleying in different parts of the riparian band. Water and contaminants are likely to move laterally over the Hamilton Ash towards the drain, supported by the accumulation of NO₃⁻ at the boundary with the clay layer.
Future work should be devoted to better quantifying NO₃⁻ leaching from the riparian plot by incorporating a drainage model, as well as further investigating the relative importance of N removal pathways at this site (i.e. denitrification and plant uptake)— including the potential for the lower part of the riparian band, closest to the drain, to become a hotspot for nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. It would also be of value to revisit this study in 4-10 years to explore how the buffer impacts soil quality and N dynamics in the subsurface as it matures.

text: The role of mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) riparian plantings in the mitigation of diffuse agricultural nitrogen The disruption of nutrient cycles in agricultural settings, particularly pastoral farming, is responsible for up to 70% of the nitrogen (N) loads entering streams in New Zealand (NZ) — resulting in the widespread degradation of freshwater ecosystems. Riparian plantings are one strategy to mitigate the losses of N from land to water, removing N by denitrification and plant uptake. Some types of vegetation are more effective than others at intercepting N, due to their ecology, impact on soil quality and root exudates. Mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium) is a plant native to NZ, and the species could be a good candidate to mitigate N losses due its ability to tolerate high N loads and co-benefits such as farm diversification through apiculture or essential oil production. Previous work also suggests that L. scoparium could be a biological nitrification inhibitor (BNI), limiting nitrate (NO₃⁻) production in soil.

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential of mānuka to intercept and remove N in an experimental riparian buffer in Lake Waikare. Currently, the lake is eutrophic due to high nutrient and sediment inputs. Significant restoration efforts have been made in recent years, led by many hapuu around the lake. All are very passionate and determined to recover the mauri of this ecosystem and reconnect the people to the lake, as well as provide economic opportunities. The riparian band had been established for four years and was set up as a series of experimental plots with different vegetation types, including plots solely in mānuka, and grassed controls. The plots are on a Perch- Gley Ultic Soil underlain by a slowly permeable clay layer— the Hamilton Ash. Further, the study sought to explore the relationship between soil physical properties and N cycling, and to identify influences expected by the local hydrology— as there was evidence of perching and lateral flow in the site. A series of suction-cup lysimeters were installed and pore water was sampled seven times between May and July 2021. Samples were analysed for total N (TN), total Kjeldahl N (TKN), NO₃⁻ and ammonium (NH₄⁺).

The results show that the riparian buffer is effectively removing N from subsurface flows, with TN declining from an average of 9.32 mg/l at 1 m into the buffer to 2.03 mg/l at 7 m. Although N concentrations were higher under mānuka, the total amount of N extracted from those plots was 21% less due to high rainfall interception by the canopy (63.9%), limiting the transport of the solute. Indicators of soil physical quality, bulk density (ρb) and macroporosity (MP), were investigated as potential causes for differences in the movement of N. There was a 17% improvement in ρb, and 38% improvement in MP relative to 2017 measurements, before the riparian band was established. No appreciable differences in soil physical properties were found between vegetation types at this early stage in the inception of the riparian buffer, although changes are likely to occur as the mānuka trees mature and the impact of roots is more developed. Shallow wells were deployed to monitor the dynamics of the water table, as there was evidence of winter perching. Dip wells demonstrated the existence of a short- lived perched water table, resulting in lateral flow, and likely impacting the degree of soil gleying in different parts of the riparian band. Water and contaminants are likely to move laterally over the Hamilton Ash towards the drain, supported by the accumulation of NO₃⁻ at the boundary with the clay layer.
Future work should be devoted to better quantifying NO₃⁻ leaching from the riparian plot by incorporating a drainage model, as well as further investigating the relative importance of N removal pathways at this site (i.e. denitrification and plant uptake)— including the potential for the lower part of the riparian band, closest to the drain, to become a hotspot for nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. It would also be of value to revisit this study in 4-10 years to explore how the buffer impacts soil quality and N dynamics in the subsurface as it matures.

year: 2021

title: Investigating the effectiveness of an analogy activity in improving students’ conceptual change for solution chemistry concepts

authors: Çalik, Muammer

subjects: analogy

abstract: This paper reports on an investigation on the use of an analogy activity and seeks to provide evidence of whether the activity enables students to change alternative conceptions towards views more in accord with scientific views for aspects of solution chemistry. We were also interested in how robust any change was and whether these changes in conceptual thinking became embedded in the students’ long-term memory. The study has its theoretical basis in an interpretive paradigm, and used multiple methods to probe the issues in depth. Data collection consisted of two concept test items, one-on-one interviews, and student self-assessment. The sample consisted of 44 Grade 9 students selected from two intact classes (22 each), from Trabzon, Turkey. The interviews were conducted with six students selected because of evidence as to their significant conceptual change in solution chemistry. The research findings revealed statistically significant differences in pre-test and post-test scores, and pre-test and delayed post-test scores (p<0.05), but no differences between post-test and delayed test scores (p>0.05). This suggests that the analogy activity is helpful in enhancing students’ conceptual understanding of solution chemistry, and that these changes may be stored in the students’ long-term memory.

text: Investigating the effectiveness of an analogy activity in improving students’ conceptual change for solution chemistry concepts This paper reports on an investigation on the use of an analogy activity and seeks to provide evidence of whether the activity enables students to change alternative conceptions towards views more in accord with scientific views for aspects of solution chemistry. We were also interested in how robust any change was and whether these changes in conceptual thinking became embedded in the students’ long-term memory. The study has its theoretical basis in an interpretive paradigm, and used multiple methods to probe the issues in depth. Data collection consisted of two concept test items, one-on-one interviews, and student self-assessment. The sample consisted of 44 Grade 9 students selected from two intact classes (22 each), from Trabzon, Turkey. The interviews were conducted with six students selected because of evidence as to their significant conceptual change in solution chemistry. The research findings revealed statistically significant differences in pre-test and post-test scores, and pre-test and delayed post-test scores (p<0.05), but no differences between post-test and delayed test scores (p>0.05). This suggests that the analogy activity is helpful in enhancing students’ conceptual understanding of solution chemistry, and that these changes may be stored in the students’ long-term memory.

year: 2009