Espresso Knowledge #65 - Universities! Give resources & encouragement to academics for their public engagement duties

Researchers studying academics in Australia and Japan found that Australian universities offer limited support for researchers doing public engagement.

Universities prefer scholars share research within the scholarly community, academic journals, and conferences rather than the public as the former counts towards their performance evaluation and the latter is not considered part of their workload.

In Japan, academics are expected to do public engagement, but don't get adequate resources or training.

Academics surveyed value public engagement, but cite time and workload as the biggest barriers to doing so.

Universities must understand that sharing research with the public, industry and policymakers increases reputation and funding. They should provide academics with training and resources to talk to diverse audiences, and especially, the media. In fact, many academics felt unprepared giving interviews.

Keeping all this mind, Australian universities could count public engagement as part of the academic's workload and take it into account when doing performance evaluations.

Original article:

Unis want research shared widely. So why don’t they properly back academics to do it?

Original study:

Perspectives on institutional valuing and support for academic and translational outputs in Japan and Australia

Espresso Knowledge #64 - Compensation schemes & management practices help humans & wildlife co-exist.

Researchers examined a compensation scheme in Uganda that pays cattle and goat farmers to stop them from killing spotted hyenas and leopards.

The predators are important and very profitable for tourism, but cause significant financial damage to farmers.

The study showed livestock losses claims grew significantly from 2009 to 2018 and compensation payments have quickly outstripped available funds, making it difficult to keep sustain the scheme. Also, a majority of livestock losses occurred while they were in protective pens.

Researchers have a few suggestions.

Strengthen livestock holding pens, for example. One could also adapt Sweden's Payment for Presence scheme, where reindeer herders are paid to tolerate wolverine reproduction regardless of livestock losses. The wolverine population has recovered. Or take Kenya's example where lion guardians warn farming communities when predators come near their livestock, mitigating conflict with wildlife.

These initiatives could help humans and wildlife to co-exist sustainably.

Original article:

Why paying people to tolerate wildlife is not the magic bullet for conservation

Original study:

Evidence for increasing human‐wildlife conflict despite a financial compensation scheme on the edge of a Ugandan National Park

Espresso Knowledge #63 - To survive COVID19 isolation and confinement, turn to astronauts!

COVID19 has forced many into isolation and confinement.

According to one researcher, astronauts might have a few suggestions to cope - after all, isolation and confinement are their normal.

The international space station emphasizes self-awareness for its astronauts. Meditation, yoga, tai chi have been identified as possible ways to monitor and regulate their own behaviour, health and performance.

Journal your thoughts - you can reflect on and act upon sources of stress. Focus on structure and routine - quickly course-correct if you stray from the path.

To tackle monotony during lockdown - break up time and focus on the near term.

Disagreements are uncomfortable for those sharing close quarters with friends or family. Astronauts suggest letting tensions pass. Be sensitive and timely when resolving issues.

Astronauts look forward to care packages that they receive on the station. Likewise, if you know someone having a rough time, send them one. It helps a lot.

Original article:

Astronauts are experts in isolation, here’s what they can teach us 

Espresso Knowledge #62 - Oldest known cave painting gives peek into our ancestors

A cave painting in the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is possibly the oldest depiction of the animal world.

Made with a red mineral pigment, researchers estimate the painting to be atleast 45,500 years old.

It shows images of the Sulawesi warty pig, a small short-legged wild boar, native to Sulawesi.

The discovery highlights the importance of understanding where and when the first cave art traditions arose. It can give us clues as to what was important to early society, and how we saw and depicted the world around us.

Sulawesi is the largest of oceanic islands in Wallacea, a group of islands bridging Indonesia on one side and Australia and New Guinea on the other. Modern humans are said to have crossed Wallacea by watercraft at least 65,000 years ago to reach Australia. The islands remains poorly explored. Further research could possibly uncover even older rock art in the region.

Original article:

We found the oldest known cave painting of animals in a secret Indonesian valley

Original study:

Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi

Espresso Knowledge #61 - Stop publicizing unverified COVID19 research - misinformation can delay global recovery

Preprints are free online scientific studies that are inconclusive or unverified.

Researchers find them useful to get feedback quickly.

Preprints skyrocketed during COVID19 - scientists were sharing and refining each other's work on life-saving drugs and vaccines.

Covering preprints is okay as long as one mentions that the work is tentative.

Researchers analyzed over 450 media stories that covered preprints - only about half accurately portrayed them as being unverified research. With COVID19's rapid spread and few verified studies to rely on, journalists have little choice but to cover preprints.

But things are changing - journalism associations have recommendations to cover preprints responsibly. Warning messages on preprint collections remind readers not to treat findings as facts.

But we must also do our part. Read science papers critically. Fact-check questionable claims. Think before you share.

Science communicator Liz Neeley says - we are all science communicators now: COVID-19 has conscripted us.

Original article:

In the rush for coronavirus information, unreviewed scientific papers are being publicized

Original study:

Communicating Scientific Uncertainty in an Age of COVID-19: An Investigation into the Use of Preprints by Digital Media Outlets

Espresso Knowledge #60 - Proteins, history, and food stuck in teeth tell an old tale of globalization

Researchers have found evidence of globalization in food stuck between human teeth from almost 4000 years ago.

The study shows that globalization is not a modern phenomenon, and people have been trading goods and food across continents for millennia.

Researchers examined 16 individuals from historical sites located in present-day Israel. These sites bridged the Mediterranean, Asia and Egypt. Researchers analyzed food traces including protein and plant residue and fossils preserved in human teeth over thousands of years. People were already eating turmeric, bananas and soy.

The study gives the earliest direct evidence of trade of exotic spices, fruits and oils from Asia to the Mediterranean, pushing back the estimated date of trading to several centuries earlier than previously thought.

By combining protein chemistry and archaeology, researchers have traced the roots of long-distance trade and nascent globalization, showing that people's interest in interesting and exotic food has a long history indeed.

Original article:

The aroma of distant worlds

Original study:

Exotic foods reveal contact between South Asia and the Near East during the second millennium BCE

Espresso Knowledge #59 - Manitoba! Do better for students with disabilities.

Researchers unveiled a bleak picture about the treatment of students with disabilities in Manitoba.

A summer 2019 anonymous online survey online of their parents shows that schools need to be more inclusive for students with disabilities.

Schools use unsafe restraints that are banned in most correctional and health care facilities.  Seclusion spaces lack doorknobs to prevent escape. Some children are being restrained or secluded daily, with sessions lasting up to three hours.

Parents were rarely or never informed by the school that their child had been restrained or secluded. Most never received a written report.  A majority reported that their children were emotionally traumatized.

Manitoba urgently needs a framework that regulates restraint and seclusion, and records and reports incidents quickly. Seclusion spaces should be highly regulated, safe, and humane. Educators need proper training and know alternatives like Positive Behaviour Interventions and de-escalation strategies.

Original article:

The Conversation: Restraining and secluding students with disabilities is an urgent human rights issue

Original study:

Restraint and Seclusion Behind-Closed Doors

Espresso Knowledge #58 - Eagles and wind farms share the sky safely in South Africa

A new tool reduces the risk of eagles colliding with wind turbines, while help build wind farms sustainably in South Africa.

Between 2015 and 2019, almost 20 eagles have died colliding with fast-moving blades of wind turbines.

South Africa's growing number of wind farms are reducing carbon emissions and ensuring consistent power supply, but are harming eagles.

After attaching GPS transmitters on them, researchers tracked 15 adult eagles over 8 years.

They examined how eagles used the landscape around their nest and the heights that put them at risk for turbine collisions. Using this data, they build a predictive tool that shows where wind turbines can be placed without harming eagles.

The model frees up-to 20% more land for developing turbines while providing increased protection to eagles. Researchers are expanding their work to Ethiopia and Kenya, and building similar tools for other species.

Original article:

Finding space for both wind farms and eagles in South Africa

Original study:

A predictive model for improving placement of wind turbines to minimise collision risk potential for a large soaring raptor

Espresso Knowledge #57 - Emotionally charged headlines cloud our ability to judge news credibility

Researchers found that emotionally charged headlines significantly influence how we process information and judge others, even when we are unsure about the credibility of the news source.

The study highlights the need to further explore the consequences of reading emotionally charged news.

This is essential in protecting ourselves against the damaging consequences of fake news, which significantly impacts personal opinions and public discourse.

Study participants read fictitious headlines about fictitious people. Headlines were either emotionally charged or neutral.

Shortly afterwards, researchers recorded the electrical activity of the participants' brains while they judged the fictitious people. Quick responses usually meant emotional reactions. Slower responses usually meant pausing and factoring source credibility when judging.

Brain activity showed that emotions trumped credibility. The study found that even when participants did not trust a news source, they still made extreme judgements about people whose negative or positive behaviour was reported in the news headlines. 

Original article:

Emotional headlines have an impact regardless of the credibility of the source

Original studies:

Emotional news affects social judgments independent of perceived media credibility 

Espresso Knowledge #56 - COVID19 will slow global economic growth but potentially spare Asian nations

A new study forecasts a lengthy global recession due to COVID19. 

Atleast 80% of advanced nations including US and UK will see deep, long-lasting economic effects. China and others in East Asia may fare better given their manufacturing bases.

Nations that adopted less stringent lockdowns – Sweden, for example – will also suffer economic losses, due to spillovers from other countries. Turkey, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia, for example, will see atleast two years of severely low economic activity.

Researchers analyzed historical data to predict COVID19's long-term effects on global economies. Lockdowns, business closures, and social distancing have reduced and disrupted labour supply and productivity. Income loss from death, quarantines, and unemployment have reduced household consumptions.

Researchers studied 40 years worth of data - in particular - rare economic shocks - to predict economic losses suffered by in the pandemic's wake.

Original article:

No country ‘immune’ to COVID-19 economic shock, but Asian nations will bounce back faster

Original studies:

A Counterfactual Economic Analysis of Covid-19 Using a Threshold Augmented Multi-Country Model

Espresso Knowledge #55 - Age of oldest child key in retaining immigrant families in Canada

The age of the oldest child is often a key reason that helps decide if immigrant families will be more likely to move or stay put. 

Families are unwilling to interfere with their children's high-school attendance. Canada must consider this important factor as it finds better ways to recruit and retain immigrants.

Researchers studied migration patterns of immigrant families and their reason for moving after they arrived in Canada.

Canada depends heavily on immigrants for its economic growth. But some parts of Canada have less immigrants compared to others and this means economic inequality across regions.

Many focus on attracting immigrants, but as the study shows, focus on retaining them also. Regions like Atlantic Canada and rural Prairie communities could consider recruiting families with children attending school. For example - build multicultural community centres and offer English as second language classes.

Original article:

Age of oldest child key to unlocking immigration mobility within Canada

Original studies:

Age of the oldest child and internal migration of immigrant families: A study using administrative data from immigrant landing and tax files

Espresso Knowledge #54 - Youth football academies - raise holistic players to better prepare them for life after sport

Two recent studies hope that youth football academies change for the better.

By doing do, they can better help athletes who have not made it to teams deal with life after sports.

Children as young as five enrolled in academies are often referred to as elite youth players. They have intensive training, busy competition schedules, missing out on wider social experiences that leaves them poorly prepared for life after sport. Very few make it to teams. Some feel there's nothing to move on to afterwards.

Youth academies must change attitudes that fixate on having an identity solely as an athlete.

Create multidimensional people. Promote causes and interests beyond football. This might lessen the pain of rejection and help manage fallout better.

Clubs must start thinking more holistically about how to prepare and support the players they turn down. If they don't, more young, impressionable lives could be damaged or lost.

Original article:

How football’s youth academy culture is failing youngsters who don’t make the grade

Original studies:

A psycho-educational curriculum for sport career transition practitioners: development and evaluation

‘Zooming in’ on the antecedents of youth sport coaches’ autonomy-supportive and controlling interpersonal behaviours: a multimethod study

Espresso Knowledge #53 - Olympics moving ahead with the times by focusing on younger audiences

Surfing, skateboarding, and karate will be new sports in Tokyo 2021 Olympics.

The 2024 Paris Olympics will include the hip-hop dance form breakdancing.

Sports have always been added to or dropped from the Olympics - golf and rugby, for example, were part of the Olympics in the 1900s, then dropped for decades, before being added back in.

The reason for some of these changes traces to the International Olympic Committee's 2014 policy to modernize the games by focusing on more youth-oriented sports, sports that can ensure more gender balance and are television-friendly.

Olympics are constantly seeking relevancy amongst younger audiences. but purists remain unenthusiastic.

While the Winter Games have added new sports, growing rapidly, summer games have grown gradually - they have more participating athletes and require more purpose-built venues.

The 2024 Paris Games will also aim to reach a 50-50 gender balance for the first time.

Original article:

Breakdancing in the Olympics? The Games have a long history of taking chances, from pesapallo (yes, it’s a sport) to kite flying

Espresso Knowledge #52 - Nurses in rural Africa help women face a dignified end to their lives

A recent study shows how nurses can help people in rural communities, with limited finances, get nutritious food and clean water, and face a dignified end to their lives.

Researchers spoke to women in Malawi with HIV or terminal cancers and their caregivers. Food security was an important issue.

Many lacked a stable food supply. 

Women were unable to farm effectively due to ill health or limited access to agricultural inputs. Unpredictable weather patterns due to climate change has limited their ability to grow sufficient food for their families. Caregivers had little time to attend to their owns farms because they were at hospitals tending to patients.

Nurses are close to the community and patients. They can lobby effectively for patient rights. They provide important information on growing food and getting good nutrition. They can also work with community leaders to meet nutritional needs of women at end of life.

Original article:

Dignity at the end of life: a Malawian nursing study shows the impact of food

Original study:

The intersection of food insecurity and health for rural Malawian women at the end of life

Espresso Knowledge #51 - Clashing galaxies raise families of stars

How did the Milky Way come to be?

Researchers recently answered this using artificial and in the process, created the first complete family tree for our place in the universe.

Eleven billion years ago, a galaxy the researchers named Kraken collided with the Milky Way. This collision is the most significant merger that our galaxy has ever experienced and transformed how it looked.

Over time, the Milky Way has gobbled about 15 galaxies containing over a 110 million stars.

Galaxies like Milky Way form when smaller galaxies merge into one another.

The Milky Way has over hundred and fifty dense groups of up to a million stars.

Using simulations and artificial intelligence, researchers analyzed ages, chemistry, and movement of these groups. They peered ten billion years back in time to understand the ancestral galaxies of these groups. Researchers found how big and heavy these galaxies were, but also when they merged.

Original article:

MILKY WAY FAMILY TREE

Original study:

Kraken reveals itself – the merger history of the Milky Way reconstructed with the E-MOSAICS simulations

Espresso Knowledge #50 - Canadians! Use free online mental health resources to help cope with COVID19

Many Canadians are not using online resources that could help them cope with mental health impacts of COVID-19.

A national survey in May of 3000 participants found 65% reporting adverse mental health impacts due to COVID-19. But only two per cent accessed apps, websites, or other supports to help them cope.

These were people who were already connected with the health-care system, and are likely being referred to them by care providers.

People seeking mental health care need to know that there are free options available.

The lack of awareness of such resources is a major contributing factor.

Researchers suggest complementing messages about physical distancing, face masks and hand washing with ways to support mental health in a positive way.

Online mental health resources offer accessible, affordable support in multiple languages. They are one way to reach out and help people in need.  

Original article:

Online supports for COVID-19 stress are there—but Canadians aren’t accessing them

Resources:

BounceBack

Wellness Together Canada

WellCan

mindbeacon

Espresso Knowledge #49 - Men, non-immigrants, young adults & rural area residents least likely to take COVID19 precautions

Researchers analyzed a June 2020 Statistics Canada COVID19 survey to find that men, non-immigrants, young adults and residents in rural areas are less likely to wear masks, wash hands, socially distance, and avoid crowds.

They are now among the highest spreader groups in the second wave.

Policymakers could target them with additional public-health interventions.

94% of survey participants would wash hands, over 80% would socially distance and avoid crowds, and 67% would wear masks.  Seniors wore masks and avoided crowds a lot more than young adults. University degree holders were most likely to wear masks and avoid crowds compared to trades certificate holders, who were least likely to follow all four precautionary behaviours.

But, policy-makers, be careful - people often want others to think they’re following social norms, even if they’re not actually doing so.

Researchers hope that more people have increased their vigilance since June.

Original article:

Gender, age, education can predict use of pandemic precautions

Original study:

Changes in health behaviours during early COVID-19 and socio-demographic disparities: a cross-sectional analysis

Espresso Knowledge #47 - Anti-nausea drug calms stomach muscles and may reduce our aversion to disgust

A new study shows that the anti-nausea medicine Domperidone significantly reduces how much people look away from disgusting images.

Disgust is a natural response to unpleasant sights. It has evolved to help us survive and avoid things that might spread disease, like rotting food, bodily waste, and insects. But for some, disgust becomes pathological, affecting mental health.

Electric signals in the stomach help it expand and contract, moving food through the digestive system. When we see something disgusting, rhythms become abnormal and may cause us to throw up.

Researchers showed that Domperidone stabilises the rhythm of electrical signals in stomach muscles, and reduces people's instinct to look away from disgusting images.

But only using the drug isn’t enough.

In the study, people had to be motivated or incentivized to overcome their instinct to look away. 

The study could help people overcome clinically debilitating pathological disgust more efficiently.

Original article:

Rhythm and bleughs: how changes in our stomach’s rhythms steer us away from disgusting sights

Original study:

A causal role for gastric rhythm in human disgust avoidance.

Espresso Knowledge #46 - Self-belief often influenced by others and can explain misinformation

A new study shows that people put more weight on their own beliefs than on those of others. But this self-belief is strongly influenced by how closely others have similar beliefs.

The study helps explain coronavirus deniers or people who are not convinced about the results of the US presidential election.

Study participants were shown animal pictures and asked to estimate the number of animals. They were asked to make a second estimate after being shown numbers from other participants. The second estimate depended on if and how much their peers’ estimates differed from each other and from their own.

Researchers used the results to model how people behave in real life.

Interactions are increasingly online.

Algorithms often present information that is biased to our own views.

Researchers showed that the way people process information often isolates them within bubbles of similar ideas, and they become less open to alternatives.

Original article:

Forming beliefs in a world of filter bubbles

Original study:

Strategies for integrating disparate social information.

Espresso Knowledge #45 - The pandemic has increased media usage, but revenues are still down

Researchers analyzed COVID19's effect on Swiss media.

They found people increasingly returning to traditional news media and wanting evidence-based, reliable information.

But the media is having difficulty generating revenue. Only 13% are willing to pay.

The study also found that science reporting is low, covering hardly 2% of all media articles. There is also very little in terms of science commentary and context surrounding scientific studies. This is worrying not just for the current pandemic but for the future.

News diversity is low - reports are covering a diminishing range of topics and geographical areas. Outlets are increasingly sharing their content. 

But there seems to be some hope.

Increasingly, young people - ages 18 to 24 - are willing to pay for news. But they are interested in reports if it fits their identity and community. They prefer news that is audiovisual, easy to understand and compatible with their everyday routines.

Original article:

Corona Crisis Increases Media Usage, Reduces Revenues

Original study:

Yearbook 2020: The Quality of the Media - Main Findings