Bacterial phylotypes associated with rock-dwelling Lichens from Arctic/Subarctic areas in North America and Northern Europe.

Unlabelled: The diversity of bacteria associated with lichens has received increasing attention. However, studies based on next-generation sequencing of microbiomes have not yet been conducted in the Arctic and Subarctic regions. In this study, rock-dwelling lichens belonging to the Umbilicariaceae family were sampled from the Arctic and Subarctic biological zones.

Twenty five years of world heritage status: Show us the benefits!

In the Solomon Islands and around the Pacific there is commonly a disconnect between government priorities for economic development through resource extraction and community aspirations for local resource management, conservation, and alternative pathways to livelihoods development, which includes tourism. Nowhere is this disconnect more stark than in communities on Rennell Island, within the region's oldest inscribed World Heritage area. These communities have so far resisted extractive industry development but have not yet benefited from inscription.

Solomon Islands Oncology Unit: Sustainability in Terms of Outcomes.

Bush et al emphasize that the key to establishing enduring and efficient global health systems lies in prioritizing local stakeholders and, above all, the welfare of patients.

Vangunu giant rat () survives in the Zaira Community Resource Management Area, Solomon Islands.

Described in 2017 and known only from the holotype, is surely among the world's least studied rodents. This critically endangered species is facing a rapidly increasing scale for threat from logging of its primary lowland forest habitat, on the only island on which it occurs-Vangunu, Solomon Islands. However, a deep traditional ecological knowledge of is held by Vangunu's people.

Assessment of Postharvest Practices of Tuna Sold at the Honiara Fish Market in the Solomon Islands.

The study is aimed at assessing the impacts of postharvest handling practices on the quality and safety of tuna sold at the Honiara Fish Market (HFM), Solomon Islands. Two major approaches were adopted: (1) face-to-face interviews of 60 participants using questionnaires and physical observations of the supply chains and postharvest handling practices and (2) determination of time-temperature, quality index, histamine, and microbial load of tuna and contact surfaces. Sampling was conducted on both the wet season (WS) and dry season (DS), of which 36 samples from both batches of fresh tuna (FT) and brined tuna (BT) were analyzed.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with under-five mortality in the Solomon Islands: an investigation from the 2015 Solomon Islands demographic and health survey data.

Background: Annually, over five million children die before their fifth birthday worldwide, with 98% of these deaths occurring in low-and middle-income countries. The prevalence and risks for under-five mortality are not well-established for the Solomon Islands.

Methods: We used the Solomon Islands Demographic and Health Survey 2015 data (SIDHS 2015) to estimate the prevalence and risk factors associated with under-five mortality.

Child health nurses in Solomon Islands, piloting the 'Bachelor of nursing: Child health'.

Aim: In 2016, the Solomon Islands National University developed and implemented the country's first nursing specialisation in child health, the Bachelor of Nursing: Child Health. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of the first cohort of students (n = 14) during this course in order to evaluate the programme.

Background: The Bachelor of Nursing: Child Health was implemented in 2016 to develop nurses' knowledge and skills in child health and improve child health outcomes and so on.

Lived experiences of women with low birth weight infants in the Solomon Islands: A descriptive qualitative study.

Every year, around 20 million women worldwide give birth to low birth weight (LBW) infants, with majority of these births occurring in low-and middle-income countries, including the Solomon Islands. Few studies have explored the pregnancy lived experience of women who deliver LBW infants. The aim of the study is to understand the lived experience of women in the Solomon Islands who gave birth to LBW infants by exploring their personal (socio-demographic and health), behavioural, social and environmental contexts.

Prevalence and Factors Associated With Low Birth Weight in the Solomon Islands: Evidence From the 2015 Solomon Islands Demographic and Health Survey data.

Low birth weight (LBW) has contributed to more than 80% of under-5 deaths worldwide, most occurring in low- and middle-income countries. We used the 2015 Solomon Islands Demographic and Health Survey data to identify the prevalence and risks associated with LBW in the Solomon Islands. Low birth weight prevalence estimated was 10%.

Child health nursing in the Solomon Islands: A qualitative evaluation of the impact of the 'Bachelor of nursing - Child health'.

Aim: To explore graduates' perceptions of the impact on nursing practice of a new postgraduate course in child health, developed and implemented in the Solomon Islands in 2016.

Background: The Bachelor of Nursing - Child Health was implemented in 2016 to develop nurses' knowledge and skills in child health and paediatric care with the intent to improve national child health outcomes.

Design: A qualitative exploratory, descriptive design was used to evaluate the impact of the Bachelor of Nursing - Child Health on graduates' nursing practice.

Formative Research Using Settings and Motives to Explore Child Faeces Disposal and Management in Rural Solomon Islands.

Unsafe child faeces management can lead to adverse health and wellbeing outcomes for children. In Solomon Islands, diarrhoeal disease is a leading cause of under-5 mortality, though there is limited research into CFM practices and promotion of safe behaviours. The formative research applied a Behaviour-Centred Design framework to investigate the habits, motives and settings related to child faeces management in rural Solomon Islands villages.

Prevalence and risk factors of adverse birth outcomes in the Pacific Island region: A scoping review.

Background: Prevalence and exposures of adverse birth outcomes is well studied in low-and-middle-income countries but not well-established for the Pacific Island region. Our study mapped the available evidence on low birth weight (LBW), preterm birth, and small for gestational age (SGA)'s prevalence and their corresponding risks in the region.

Methods: We followed the five-staged Arksey and O'Malley's framework with clinicians' consultation in the region.

Perspectives of Nurses About Factors Affecting Quality of Care at the Solomon Islands National Referral Hospital During the 2016-2017 Dengue Outbreak: A Qualitative Study.

During the 2016-2017 Solomon Islands dengue outbreak, the National Referral Hospital (NRH) in Honiara was the epicenter for the national response. High-quality nursing care is critical for successful management and this study investigated the factors affecting the quality of nursing care for patients admitted to NRH with dengue. Data were collected using two methods: () Focus group discussions with nurses who cared for dengue patients and () a self-administered questionnaire completed by a senior manager.

Citizen science as a tool for arboviral vector surveillance in a resourced-constrained setting: results of a pilot study in Honiara, Solomon Islands, 2019.

Background: Recent arboviral disease outbreaks highlight the value a better understanding of the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes across spatial-temporal scales can provide. Traditional surveillance tools are limited by jurisdictional boundaries, workforce constraints, logistics, and cost; factors that in low- and middle-income countries often conspire to undermine public health protection efforts. To overcome these, we undertake a pilot study designed to explore if citizen science provides a feasible strategy for arboviral vector surveillance in small developing Pacific island contexts.

Assessing Diet Quality of Indigenous Food Systems in Three Geographically Distinct Solomon Islands Sites (Melanesia, Pacific Islands).

Indigenous Solomon Islanders, like many living in Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS), are currently experiencing the global syndemic-the combined threat of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change. This mixed-method study aimed to assess nutrition transitions and diet quality by comparing three geographically unique rural and urban indigenous Solomon Islands populations. Participants in rural areas sourced more energy from wild and cultivated foods; consumed a wider diversity of foods; were more likely to meet WHO recommendations of >400g of non-starchy fruits and vegetables daily; were more physically active; and had significantly lower body fat, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI) when compared to urban populations.

Aquatic Foods and Nutrition in the Pacific.

National rates of aquatic food consumption in Pacific Island Countries and Territories are among the highest in the world, yet the region is suffering from extensive levels of diet-related ill health. The aim of this paper is to examine the variation in consumption patterns and in nutrient composition of aquatic foods in the Pacific, to help improve understanding of their contribution to food and nutrition security. For this examination we analysed nutrient composition data and trade data from two novel region-specific databases, as well as consumption data from national and village level surveys for two Melanesian case studies, Vanuatu and Solomon Islands.

Malnutrition in rural Solomon Islands: An analysis of the problem and its drivers.

Solomon Islands, like many Pacific Island nations, suffer from the burden of malnutrition. External drivers including population growth, declining agriculture and fisheries productivity and global food trade have contributed to the transition to greater reliance on imported foods. Globally, diets are recognized as both a cause of and solution to the burden of malnutrition.

Factors influencing self-management behaviours among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Solomon Islands.

Aims And Objectives: This study aims to explore the current state of self-management behaviours among persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Solomon Islands and to discuss the factors influencing these behaviours.

Background: The prevalence of diabetes and diabetes complications is increasing in the Solomon Islands. However, the effective diabetes prevention and care are not provided in the country.

Effects of partial replacement of dietary fish meal by bioprocessed plant protein concentrates on growth performance, hematology, nutrient digestibility and digestive enzyme activities in juvenile Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei.

Background: Bioprocessing of plant feedstuff can be a novel approach for reducing the overwhelming dependence on fish meal in aquaculture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei fed solid-state fermented protein concentrates in order to replace fish meal in the diet.

Results: In the first trial, a group of 15 shrimp (average 3.

Food Purchasing Behaviors of a Remote and Rural Adult Solomon Islander Population.

The aim of this study was to investigate the food purchasing behaviors of an adult Solomon Islander population within a transitioning food system in Auki, Malaita. Food purchasing behavior measures included; venue type and transportation for purchasing food, previous day expenditure on food purchases, number of weekly shopping experiences for store foods (generally long-life shelf and frozen items) and fresh foods (such as fruits and vegetables and fresh fish) and the importance of factors (i.e.