Broad Clusters Research Articles

The gateway to the oriental zone: Environmental change and palaeolithic behaviour in the Thar Desert

The global distribution of modern humans is unparalleled amongst other terrestrial fauna and explaining how we have become so uniquely successful is a topic of major debate in palaeoanthropology. Examining how past populations engaged and adapted to new ecologies, rather than just when and where they first appear in the fossil record, can best be rooted in broader studies of biogeography that explicitly recognize key thresholds between major ecozones. In this paper, focus is placed on the Thar Desert, marking the boundary between the Saharo-Arabian desert belt to the west and the monsoonal Oriental zone to the east as an example of such a boundary. The goal of this study is to provide a broad synthesis of available evidence from the region, aiming to clearly communicate the nature of the existing Palaeolithic record and to identify tension and contradiction within it as foci for future research. Following review of modern ecology and palaeoenvironmental archives from the region, a quantitative analysis of the Palaeolithic record of the Thar Desert is presented. Hierarchical clustering is used to evaluate the extent to which typological constellations within stone tool assemblages reflect the top level terminology used to group Palaeolithic behaviour, revealing six broad clusters of assemblages and three clusters of artefact types. A more detailed appraisal of dated and stratified assemblages highlights rare patterns of exclusion between Acheulean, Middle Palaeolithic and Late Palaeolithic assemblages alongside more prominent proportional differences in assemblage composition. These results are discussed in the broader context of key behavioural changes in Palaeolithic South Asia and the expansion of modern humans.

The HLA diversity of the Anthony Nolan register.

While the success of allogeneic stem cell transplantation depends on a high degree of HLA compatibility between donor and patient, finding a suitable donor remains challenging due to the hyperpolymorphic nature of HLA genes. We calculated high‐resolution allele, haplotype and phenotype frequencies for HLA‐A, ‐C, ‐B, ‐DRB1 and ‐DQB1 for 10 subpopulations of the Anthony Nolan (AN) register using an in‐house expectation‐maximisation (EM) algorithm run on mixed resolution HLA data, covering 676 155 individuals. Sample sizes range from 599 410 for British/Irish North West European (BINWE) individuals, the largest subpopulation in the United Kingdom to 1105 for the British Bangladeshi population. Calculation of genetic distance between the subpopulations based on haplotype frequencies shows three broad clusters, each following a major continental group: European, African and Asian. We further analysed the HLA haplotype and phenotype diversity of each subpopulation, and found that 35.52% of BINWE individuals ranging to 98.34% of Middle Eastern individuals on the register had a unique phenotype within their subpopulation. These analyses and the allele, haplotype and phenotype frequency data of the subpopulation on the AN register are a valuable resource in understanding the HLA diversity in the United Kingdom and can be used to improve the accuracy of match likelihoods and to inform future donor recruitment strategies.

Pediatric pan-central nervous system tumor analysis of immune-cell infiltration identifies correlates of antitumor immunity

Immune-therapy is an attractive alternative therapeutic approach for targeting central nervous system (CNS) tumors and the constituency of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment (TIME) likely to predict patient response. Here, we describe the TIME of >6000 primarily pediatric CNS tumors using a deconvolution approach (methylCIBERSORT). We produce and validate a custom reference signature defining 11 non-cancer cell types to estimate relative proportions of infiltration in a panCNS tumor cohort spanning 80 subtypes. We group patients into three broad immune clusters associated with CNS tumor types/subtypes. In cohorts of medulloblastomas (n = 2325), malignant rhabdoid tumors (n = 229) and pediatric high-grade gliomas (n = 401), we show significant associations with molecular subgroups/subtypes, mutations, and prognosis. We further identify tumor-specific immune clusters with phenotypic characteristics relevant to immunotherapy response (i.e. Cytolytic score, PDL1 expression). Our analysis provides an indication of the potential future therapeutic and prognostic possibilities of immuno-methylomic profiling in pediatric CNS tumor patients that may ultimately inform approach to immune-therapy.

Predictive modeling of complex ABO glycan phenotypes by lectin microarrays

AbstractSerological classification of individuals as A, B, O, or AB is a mainstay of blood banking. ABO blood groups or ABH antigens, in addition to other surface glycans, act as unique red blood cell (RBC) signatures and direct immune responses. ABO subgroups present as weakened, mixed field, or unexpected reactivity with serological reagents, but specific designations remain complex. Lectins detect glycan motifs with some recognizing ABH antigens. We evaluated a 45-probe lectin microarray to rapidly analyze ABO blood groups and associated unique glycan signatures within complex biological samples on RBC surface glycoproteins. RBC membrane glycoproteins were prepared from donor RBCs, n = 20 for each blood group. ABO blood group was distinguishable by lectin array, including variations in ABH antigen expression not observed with serology. Principal component analysis highlighted broad ABO blood group clusters with unexpected high and low antigen expression and variations were confirmed with ABH antibody immunoblotting. Using a subset of lectins provided an accurate method to predict an ABO serological phenotype. Lectin microarray highlighted the importance of ABO localization on glycoproteins and glycolipids and pointed to increased glycocalyx complexity associated with the expression of A and B antigens including high mannose and branched polylactosamine. Thus, lectins identified subtle surface ABO blood group glycoprotein density variations not detected by routine serological methods. Transfusion services observe alterations in ABH expression during malignancy, and ABO incompatible solid organ transplantation is not without risk of rejection. The presented methods may identify subtle but clinically significant ABO blood group differences for transfusion and transplantation.

Genetic variability, character association and diversity studies on wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotypes in Himachal Pradesh, India

Variability studies on 92 wild apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) genotypes growing in Himachal Pradesh, India were carried out during 2015–2017. The aim was to determine genetic relatedness amongst the genotypes and to identify characters influencing yield for effective genetic improvement in apricot. All the genotypes exhibited a great deal of variation for most of the characters studied and fell into two broad clusters further divided into 11 sub-clusters. Higher genotypic and phenotypic coefficient of variation was observed for sugar-acid ratio, stone weight, pulp to stone ratio, titratable acidity, reducing sugar and trunk girth. High heritability with high genetic gain was recorded in trunk girth, reducing sugars, titratable acidity and stone weight. High heritability with moderate genetic gain was recorded for yield, non-reducing sugars, total sugars and fruit weight. Several characters namely reducing sugars, trunk girth, TSS, fruit weight, stone breadth, non-reducing sugars, leaf area, stone weight, stone length and sugar/acid ratio had direct positive effect on fruit yield suggesting their use as selection indices for affecting genetic improvement in apricot.

Abstract 3659: Enhancer profiling to identify novel drivers in the EMT subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma

Abstract Recent large-scale omics characterization of gastric cancer (GC) has led to the delineation of distinct molecular subtypes with unique oncogenic mechanisms. Of particular interest is the consistent identification of an epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT) subtype, which is frequently associated with clinical aggressiveness and poor prognosis but lacks effective targeted treatment. Strikingly, this subtype has been observed to exhibit relatively high genomic integrity, suggesting the possible contribution of epigenomics and non-coding regulatory elements in driving oncogenic development. Transcriptional enhancers constitute a key class of non-coding DNA elements that regulate gene expression, especially in a tissue- or cell-type specific fashion. Importantly, dysregulated enhancer activation has been implicated in cancer pathogenesis, especially those occurring in close genomic proximity to form broad clusters known as super-enhancers (SEs). Therefore, the current study adopted the approach of subtype-specific enhancer and SE profiling in an effort to reveal novel vulnerabilities of the mesenchymal-like (Mes-like) subtype of GC. Using genome-wide H3K27ac chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing of in vitro GC cell lines and primary fresh-frozen GC tissues, we sought to define the enhancer landscape specific to the Mes-like subtype. In view of recent studies that have highlighted the possibility of major stromal contribution to the mesenchymal/EMT phenotype, we employed the use of purely epithelial cell lines as our discovery cohort. We observed through unsupervised hierarchical clustering that the Mes-like cell lines shared a distinct enhancer and SE landscape. To support their clinical relevance, we confirmed that enhancers activated preferentially in Mes-like cell lines displayed correspondingly higher H3K27ac signals in Mes-like primary GC tissues compared to their epithelial-like (Epi-like) counterparts. We then focused our analysis on recurrent Mes-like associated SE regions, given the previously established strong association of SEs with key cell identity regulators and oncogenes. To evaluate the potential biological implications of recurrent Mes-like SEs, we employed the GREAT algorithm to predict enhancer-gene interactions, followed by various gene set enrichment analyses using MSigDB. Consistent with our knowledge of the Mes-like subtype, target genes of recurrent Mes-like SEs were enriched in phenotype-relevant signatures, including genes up-regulated in tissue stem cells, genes up-regulated in advanced GC relative to early GC and genes involved in locomotion and biological adhesion. Our preliminary results suggest that enhancer characterization could prove very useful in understanding the transcriptional circuitry underlying Mes-like features in GC. Future studies will evaluate the role of specific SEs and their downstream gene targets in an effort to uncover novel oncogenes or non-coding drivers. Citation Format: Shamaine Ho, Patrick Tan. Enhancer profiling to identify novel drivers in the EMT subtype of gastric adenocarcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 3659.

Motor imagery and action observation for predictive control in developmental coordination disorder.

In 2019, international clinical practice recommendations on the definition, diagnosis, assessment, intervention, and psychosocial aspects of developmental coordination disorder (DCD) were published. Informing our understanding of mechanisms, recent systematic reviews have shown that children with DCD have difficulties with the predictive control of movements, including aspects of motor planning, which is expressed as the internal modeling deficit hypothesis. This motor control deficit is most evident when the spatial and temporal demands of a task increase. An increasing number of empirical studies suggest that motor planning problems can be remediated through training based on one or a combination of motor imagery and action observation. In this review, we show evidence of motor planning problems in children with DCD and show that task demands or complexity affects its appearance. Implications of these findings are treatments based on motor imagery and action observation to remediate motor planning issues. The article concludes with recommendations for future research.

The noble gases in five ordinary chondrites from Grove Mountains in Antarctica

Here we present the abundances and isotopic compositions of the noble gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe in five bulk ordinary chondrites from Antarctica, namely Grove Mountains (GRV)054472, GRV053690, GRV022403, GRV023149, and GRV052243. The cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of the three H chondrites GRV054472 (H3), GRV053690 (H4), and GRV022403 (H4) are 3.8 ​± ​0.3 ​Ma, 5.9 ​± ​0.4 ​Ma, and 16.6 ​± ​1.5 ​Ma, respectively. This finding is consistent with peaks in the exposure age histogram for H chondrites at 4 ​Ma and 7.2 ​Ma, respectively and also with the broad age cluster at 15–20 ​Ma, which is especially pronounced for H4 chondrites. The two L6 chondrites GRV023149 and GRV052243 are most likely paired with consistent exposure ages of 17.4 ​± ​1.1 ​Ma and 17.6 ​± ​1.5 ​Ma that both fall into the peak at 15 ​Ma for L6 chondrites. The two meteorites GRV054472 and GRV053690 show significant 3He or 3H diffusive losses of about 10% and 20–30%, respectively. The 4He gas retention ages for the three H chondrites are in the range 1.09–3.18 ​Ga, showing different degrees of degassing either at a thermal event on the parent body or during cosmic ray exposure after the ejection from the parent body. The low gas retention ages for the two L6 chondrites based on (U–Th)/He systematics are 259 ​Ma (mean age of two aliquots) and 320 ​Ma or 364 ​Ma (mean age of two aliquots) and 307 ​Ma based on K–Ar system. These ages indicate significant gas loss during the catastrophic break-up of the L-chondrite parent body. Trapped Kr in GRV054472 and GRV053690-2 is almost pure Kr-Q. In addition, other meteorites also contain Q as trapped Kr, but have discernable cosmogenic Kr. The excess 82Kr observed in GRV052243 and GRV022403 is due to the neutron capture on 81Br. Radiogenic 129Xe∗ from the decay of 129I was observed in all studied chondrites. Measured Xe isotopes in all the studied chondrites predominantly shows Q component with minor contributions from the terrestrial atmosphere. For the samples GRV053690-2 and GRV023149-2, measured Xe falls on a mixing line with Xe-SW and Xe-HL, although the later component contributes very little.

Population genetic structure of estuary perch (Percalates colonorum Gunther) in south-eastern Australia

Estuary perch (Percalates colonorum Gunther) is an estuary dependent fish native to south-eastern Australia that is in decline. There is an increasing emphasis on stocking the species. Understanding the genetic structure across its range is important for guiding optimal stocking strategies. A prior study found some evidence of population genetic structure; however, few genetic markers were used in that assessment. Here, we develop 21 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers to reassess population genetics. Analyses indicate three broad genetic clusters, with populations on mainland Australia exhibiting an isolation by distance pattern. The only known population from Tasmania is genetically and geographically isolated from mainland populations and has very low levels of genetic diversity. We provide recommendations for sourcing broodstock from mainland populations, including describing three broad areas for procuring and releasing broodstock and offspring. The markers and results reported here will prove invaluable for guiding and monitoring the outcomes of stocking and conservation activities.

Multi-level patterns of genetic structure and isolation by distance in the widespread plant Mimulus guttatus.

An understanding of genetic structure is essential for answering many questions in population genetics. However, complex population dynamics and scale-dependent processes can make it difficult to detect if there are distinct genetic clusters present in natural populations. Inferring discrete population structure is particularly challenging in the presence of continuous genetic variation such as isolation by distance. Here, we use the plant species Mimulus guttatus as a case study for understanding genetic structure at three spatial scales. We use reduced-representation sequencing and marker-based genotyping to understand dispersal dynamics and to characterise genetic structure. Our results provide insight into the spatial scale of genetic structure in a widespread plant species, and demonstrate how dispersal affects spatial genetic variation at the local, regional, and range-wide scale. At a fine-spatial scale, we show dispersal is rampant with little evidence of spatial genetic structure within populations. At a regional-scale, we show continuous differentiation driven by isolation by distance over hundreds of kilometres, with broad geographic genetic clusters that span major barriers to dispersal. Across Western North America, we observe geographic genetic structure and the genetic signature of multiple postglacial recolonisation events, with historical gene flow linking isolated populations. Our genetic analyses show M. guttatus is highly dispersive and maintains large metapopulations with high intrapopulation variation. This high diversity and dispersal confounds the inference of genetic structure, with multi-level sampling and spatially-explicit analyses required to understand population history.

Morphometric, chemotypic, and molecular diversity studies in Andrographis paniculata

ABSTRACT Genetic diversity based on molecular, morphological, and chemical characteristics was examined in Kalmegh (Andrographis paniculata). The study evaluated 10 Kalmegh accessions in a randomized complete blocks design and characterized over two Kharif seasons (2017–18 and 2018–19) for plant characteristics, yield, and andrographolide, neoandrographolide, and 14-deoxy-11, 12 dehydroandrographolide (14-DDA). Analysis of variance revealed differences among all the characters. Morphological diversity studies based on genetic similarity matrix and principal component analysis formed three clusters, cluster-I (two), cluster-II (three), and cluster-III (five) accessions. Molecular diversity analysis was performed by using arbitrary amplified 20 intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers, generated 202 amplified products with an average of 10.1 amplicon per primer, among them 140 (7.00) were polymorphic and 62 (3.10) were monomorphic bands. Polymorphic information content for ISSR primers ranged from 0.02 to 0.37 and resolving power ranged from 0.20 to 9.02. Clustering based on unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean grouped 10 germplasms into two broad clusters and two subclusters in cluster one. Chemical analysis of accessions revealed considerable variability among the 10 accessions. Andrographolide, neoandrographolide, and 14-DDA content ranged from 2.29% (IC-342195) to 3.59% (IC-342134), 0.58% (Anamalai), to1.86% (IC-471917) and 0.06% (Sirsi) to 0.12% (Anamalai), respectively. There was a negative correlation between morphological and ISSR markers.

Taxonomy of Industry 4.0 research: Mapping scholarship and industry insights

AbstractA systems perspective of an emergent field such as Industry 4.0 requires combining and analysing the entire multidisciplinary scholarship under one map. Recent developments in scientometric analysis allow researchers to carry out complex bibliometric analyses coupled with an unstructured ontological discovery made available through thematic and ensuing semantic analyses to gain a holistic outlook on the ecosystem of Industry 4.0. The state‐of‐the‐art review of the entire scholarship of Industry 4.0 demonstrates three broad clusters—the implications of automation on industry, the integration of technologies and technological advancements driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The scholarship output is, for the first time, compared with the leading industrial and policymaking institutional reports to highlight similarities and discrepancies. This allows to propose a previously unavailable definition of Industry 4.0, which is much needed to progress the research further. The three highly discrepant areas between academic literature and industry insights include lack of research into return on investment, lack of research involving policymaking, and the implications of technological development on the workforce, firms and countries. It is imperative to drive research into the existent, as well as the highlighted, themes in advancing the knowledge and aligning the academic scholarship with the interests of practitioners.

Managing death: navigating divergent logics in end-of-life care.

Delivery of end-of-life care has gained prominence in the UK, driven by a focus upon the importance of patient choice. In practice choice is influenced by several factors, including the guidance and conduct of healthcare professionals, their different understandings of what constitutes 'a good death', and contested ideas of who is best placed to deliver this. We argue that the attempt to elicit and respond to patient choice is shaped in practice by a struggle between distinct 'institutional logics'. Drawing on qualitative data from a two-part study, we examine the tensions between different professional and organisational logics in the delivery of end-of-life care. Three broad clusters of logics are identified: finance, patient choice and professional authority. We find that the logic of finance shapes the meaning and practice of 'choice', intersecting with the logic of professional authority in order to shape choices that are in the 'best interest' of the patient. Different groups might be able to draw upon alternative forms of professionalism, and through these enact different versions of choice. However, this can resemble a struggle for ownership of patients at the end of life, and therefore, reinforce a conventional script of professional authority.

Inferring quantity and qualities of superimposed reaction rates from single molecule survival time distributions

Actions of molecular species, for example binding of transcription factors to chromatin, may comprise several superimposed reaction pathways. The number and the rate constants of such superimposed reactions can in principle be resolved by inverse Laplace transformation of the corresponding distribution of reaction lifetimes. However, current approaches to solve this transformation are challenged by photobleaching-prone fluorescence measurements of lifetime distributions. Here, we present a genuine rate identification method (GRID), which infers the quantity, rates and amplitudes of dissociation processes from fluorescence lifetime distributions using a dense grid of possible decay rates. In contrast to common multi-exponential analysis of lifetime distributions, GRID is able to distinguish between broad and narrow clusters of decay rates. We validate GRID by simulations and apply it to CDX2-chromatin interactions measured by live cell single molecule fluorescence microscopy. GRID reveals well-separated narrow decay rate clusters of CDX2, in part overlooked by multi-exponential analysis. We discuss the amplitudes of the decay rate spectrum in terms of frequency of observed events and occupation probability of reaction states. We further demonstrate that a narrow decay rate cluster is compatible with a common model of TF sliding on DNA.

Experimental methods in chemical engineering: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy—FTIR

AbstractWhen molecules absorb infrared radiation (IR), their vibrational mode—stretching and bending of the electric dipole—changes to an excited state. Functional groups in organic molecules absorb IR related to their characteristic vibrational modes. A Fourier transform infrared absorption (FTIR) analyzer measures the absorbed IR to identify molecular composition of surfaces, structural and geometric isomers, orientation in polymers and solutions, and quantify impurities. We describe the power of FTIR instruments and their basic operating principles, including the main experimental setups available: transmission, diffuse reflectance (DRIFTS), reflection adsorption infrared spectroscopy (RAIRS), and attenuated total reflection (ATR), including the recent advances related to time‐resolved and operando applications. In catalytic studies, FTIR spectroscopy has demonstrated its versatility over the last several decades to understand reaction mechanisms, measure gas phase composition, and identify active sites. Over 3000 articles include catalysis and FTIR as keywords but 50 000 articles per year mention IR. We generated a bibliometric map of keywords in articles that Web of Science indexed in 2016 and 2017. The map identified four broad clusters of research related to or applying FTIR: nano‐composites, composites, and mechanical properties; nano‐particles, degradation, graphene oxide, and photo‐catalysis; adsorption, aqueous solutions, and waste water; and drug delivery, silver and gold nano‐particles, green synthesis, and antibacterial activity. Together with a synopsis of the principals of IR spectroscopy and a review of the applications, we discuss uncertainties and limitations of the technique.

Amyloid Formation under Complicated Conditions in Which β2-Microglobulin Coexists with Its Proteolytic Fragments.

Amyloid formation in vivo occurs under complicated conditions in which various amyloidogenic and non-amyloidogenic components coexist, often under crowding. Controversy surrounds the role of additional components under complicated conditions. They have been suggested to accelerate amyloid formation because molecular crowding or interactions with additives increase effective concentrations and, thus, break the supersaturation of amyloidogenic proteins. On the other hand, cellular crowding conditions with various heterogeneous components may retard or prevent amyloid formation because they impede homologous amyloidogenic associations. To elucidate the roles of these additional components, we examined the amyloid formation of β2-microglobulin (β2m), a protein responsible for dialysis-related amyloidosis, with a simplified model system in which intact β2m and its proteolytic peptides coexist. Among the nine proteolytic peptides of β2m produced in vitro with lysyl endopeptidase, the 22-residue K3 peptide is highly amyloidogenic. The amyloid formation of the K3 peptide, which occurred with a lag time of 1 h at pH 2 and 37 °C, was significantly retarded by the coexistence of β2m or a mixture of the proteolytic digests. To identify the sites of inhibitory interactions, we performed paramagnetic relaxation enhancement measurements using spin-labeled K3 and uniformly 15N-labeled β2m with nuclear magnetic resonance detection. The results revealed that K3 interacted weakly with a broad cluster of the hydrophobic residues of β2m, which accommodated the residues located in some distant sequence, leading to competitive inhibition. The results showed that relatively weak and broad interactions formed a nonproductive complex, implying a role for heterogeneous interactions under complicated conditions.

Comparative fatty acid profiling of Indian seabuckthorn showed altitudinal gradient dependent species-specific variations.

The present study provides the first comparative fatty acid profiling of the three Indian seabuckthorn species, collected from varying altitudes (2900-4300masl) of Trans-Himalayas (Hippophae rhamnoides, H. tibetana) and Sikkim Himalayas (H. salicifolia) regions. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis showed variability in fatty acid composition of different seabuckthorn populations. Sikkim populations showed higher (1.28-1.6 folds) palmitic acid than Trans-Himalayan populations which possess higher linoleic (1.3-1.5 folds) and linolenic (1.6-1.8 folds) acids. Interestingly, a strong altitudinal gradient associated positive correlation was observed with the degree of unsaturation and PUFA content while negative correlation was observed with saturated fatty acids content of different seabuckthorn populations. H. salicifolia collected from Sikkim showed healthy ω-6:ω-3 ratio (closer to 1:1) of functional lipids exhibiting its better nutraceutical potential than other commonly used seed oils. Interestingly, H. tibetana from Losar showed higher (5.81) degree of unsaturation than Sikkim populations (3.5) suggesting its better stress tolerance trait. Chemo-taxonomic diversity analysis also formed two broad clusters of Trans-Himalayan and Sikkim populations which correlated with earlier taxonomic studies.

The use of diagnoses in mental health service eligibility and exclusion criteria

Background Diagnoses are controversial but ubiquitous in mental health; however, whether they are essential features of service entry has not been analysed. Aim To investigate the use of diagnosis in the service entry criteria of UK NHS adult mental health services. Methods Freedom of Information requests were made to 17 NHS adult mental health Trusts; responses were analysed thematically. Results Four service types were identified: broadly diagnostic, problem-specific, supporting specific life circumstances and needs-led. Diagnoses were used frequently but not universally. Non-diagnostic factors were central to service entry criteria. Conclusions Diagnoses were neither necessary nor sufficient in-service entry criteria. Broad clusters of difficulties were used rather than specific diagnoses. Extensive exceptions revealed diagnoses as inefficient proxies for risk, severity and need. Differences across criteria appeared largely driven by professional competencies. Implications for innovative care pathways include preventative services and working with psychosocial factors.

The ideal supervisor from the candidate’s perspective: what qualities do students actually want?

ABSTRACT This paper investigates what postgraduate research students at varying stages of candidature across all disciplines in 15 of Australia’s 39 urban and rural universities perceive to be the qualities of an ideal supervisor. Students completed an anonymous survey resulting in the online submission of 698 surveys. This paper focuses on the penultimate question asking students to nominate five qualities of an ideal supervisor. Meta categories generated from students’ data were person related, candidate oriented, supervision fundamentals, and discipline/research expertise. The related literature reported diverse methodologies yet, like this study, have yielded remarkably similar results participating universities sought anonymity so results are presented under four broad discipline clusters. Across all clusters affective qualities (e.g., approachability, accessibility, interest, respect, commitment) consistently characterized the ideal supervisor. Students in this study, unlike others, had total agency in nominating qualities they valued in their ideal supervisor. For these 695 students from diverse disciplines positive interactive personal qualities far outweighed erudition demonstrating the centrality of the person in the supervisory relationship. Results are considered in the context of theories relating to the helping relationship from a number of disciplines. Finally, implications for the nature and efficacy of supervisor development programmes across the sector are discussed.

The multi-dimensional matrix for consultation-liaison psychiatry (mMAX-LP).

Consultation-liaison psychiatry (CLP) services are particularly susceptible to heterogeneity, developing haphazardly in response to local interests and perceived need. This hampers the generalisability of comparisons between services in terms of service models, resource requirements and outcome data. The objective of this paper therefore is to chronicle the development of a method to meaningfully describe, map and compare different CLP services. A review of the literature was followed by multiple site visits in both New Zealand and England, and an extended process of consultation and feedback. Sixteen dimensions common to CLP services were extracted to create a multi-dimensional matrix (mMAX-LP) which had three broad clusters (structure, coverage and relationship with physical health services). The model was applied and discussed with the previously visited hospitals over the succeeding five years. Additionally, the matrix was tested, and its utility demonstrated during the planned reconfiguration of CLP services at a large teaching hospital in South Auckland, New Zealand by tracking the evolution of CLP services. mMAX-LP shows promise as a useful model for profiling and comparing CLP services; mapping their evolution over time; and sign-posting future service development.