Ecological regime shift drives declining growth rates of sea turtles throughout the West Atlantic.

Somatic growth is an integrated, individual-based response to environmental conditions, especially in ectotherms. Growth dynamics of large, mobile animals are particularly useful as bio-indicators of environmental change at regional scales. We assembled growth rate data from throughout the West Atlantic for green turtles, Chelonia mydas, which are long-lived, highly migratory, primarily herbivorous mega-consumers that may migrate over hundreds to thousands of kilometers. Our dataset, the largest ever compiled for sea turtles, has 9690 growth increments from 30 sites from Bermuda to Uruguay from 1973 to 2015. Using generalized additive mixed models, we evaluated covariates that could affect growth rates; body size, diet, and year have significant effects on growth. Growth increases in early years until 1999, then declines by 26% to 2015. The temporal (year) effect is of particular interest because two carnivorous species of sea turtles-hawksbills, Eretmochelys imbricata, and loggerheads, Caretta caretta-exhibited similar significant declines in growth rates starting in 1997 in the West Atlantic, based on previous studies. These synchronous declines in productivity among three sea turtle species across a trophic spectrum provide strong evidence that an ecological regime shift (ERS) in the Atlantic is driving growth dynamics. The ERS resulted from a synergy of the 1997/1998 El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-the strongest on record-combined with an unprecedented warming rate over the last two to three decades. Further support is provided by the strong correlations between annualized mean growth rates of green turtles and both sea surface temperatures (SST) in the West Atlantic for years of declining growth rates (r = -.94) and the Multivariate ENSO Index (MEI) for all years (r = .74). Granger-causality analysis also supports the latter finding. We discuss multiple stressors that could reinforce and prolong the effect of the ERS. This study demonstrates the importance of region-wide collaborations.

Development and psychometric testing of the 10-item satisfaction with Nursing Skill Examination: Objective Structured Clinical Assessment scale.

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) or Assessment (OSCA) has traditionally been used in disciplines such as medicine and nursing, to assess students' competence to perform clinical skills safely in a simulated hospital environment. Despite its accepted use, a validated and reliable tool has yet to be developed and tested to assess students' perception of and satisfaction with this mode of assessment. This study developed and tested the psychometric properties of a brief Objective Structured Clinical Examination tool for assessing student perception that could have transferability across health education settings. The study used a cross-sectional survey design. Final year students (n = 727) enrolled in an undergraduate nursing program in Western Sydney completed the 10-item Satisfaction with Nursing Skill Examination: Objective Structured Clinical Assessment (SINE-OSCA) Scale in 2017. Exploratory factor analysis uncovered a one-component structure with component loading that ranged from 0.45 to 0.86. Cronbach's alpha of the SINE-OSCA was 0.91. Socio-demographic group comparisons revealed that respondents who were: i) male (p = 0.003); ii) non-native-born (p < 0.001); iii) non-English-speaking (p < 0.001); and iv) International (p = 0.001), reported higher satisfaction with clinical assessments, as measured by the SINE-OSCA scale. The SINE-OSCA scale demonstrates validity and reliability in identifying students who may have difficulty with this mode of clinical skill assessment.

Working Together for Mental Health: evaluation of a one-day mental health course for human service providers.

BACKGROUND: The Working Together For Mental Health course is an 8-hour course designed to demystify mental illness and mental health services. The main target group for the course is people working in human service organisations who provide services for people with mental illness. METHODS: A questionnaire was administered to all participants attending the course during 2003 (n = 165). Participants completed the questionnaire before and immediately after the course, and at three month follow-up. RESULTS: A response rate of 69% was achieved with 114 people completing the questionnaire on all three occasions. The responses showed a significant improvement in the self-assessed knowledge and confidence of participants to provide human services to people with a mental health problem or disorder, three months after the course. There was no significant improvement in participants' attitudes or beliefs about people with a mental health problem or disorder at three month follow-up; however, participants' attitudes were largely positive before entering the course. CONCLUSION: The Working Together For Mental Health course was successful in improving participants' confidence and knowledge around providing human services to people with a mental health illness.