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A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Meningococcal Disease," by N. E. Rosenstein and colleagues in the May 3, 2001 issue.

Gibbons (Hylobatidae) are the smallest of the apes, known for their arboreal behavior and stereotyped songs. These species and sex-specific songs are often the subject of detailed studies regarding their evolution, responses to changing environments, involvement in social behavior, and used to design vocalization-based survey techniques to monitor population densities and trends. What is poorly understood is the value and impact of using the science and sound of gibbon vocalization and gibbon stories in education and outreach to complement nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) efforts. We present an example of how Borneo Nature Foundation, a NGOs based in Indonesia, is working to use the recordings of the songs of Bornean white-bearded gibbons (Hylobates albibarbis) to inform conservation actions and education efforts. Gibbons in Indonesia are often poorly known or understood by the public compared to orangutans (Pongo spp). We showcase how a field of study, namely primate acoustics, is an untapped resource to create digital content to engage with local, national and international communities and can be developed into educational tools in the form of storytelling, mobile apps and games, to highlight the plight of these threatened species and how to conserve them., (© 2024 The Authors. American Journal of Primatology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Background and Objective: There is currently no standardised way to share information across disciplines about initiatives, including fields such as health, environment, basic science, manufacturing, media and international development. All problems, including complex global problems such as air pollution and pandemics require reliable data sharing between disciplines in order to respond effectively. Current reporting methods also lack information about the ways in which different people and organisations are involved in initiatives, making it difficult to collate and appraise data about the most effective ways to involve different people. The objective of STARDIT (Standardised Data on Initiatives) is to address current limitations and inconsistencies in sharing data about initiatives. The STARDIT system features standardised data reporting about initiatives, including who has been involved, what tasks they did, and any impacts observed. STARDIT was created to help everyone in the world find and understand information about collective human actions, which are referred to as 'initiatives'. STARDIT enables multiple categories of data to be reported in a standardised way across disciplines, facilitating appraisal of initiatives and aiding synthesis of evidence for the most effective ways for people to be involved in initiatives. This article outlines progress to date on STARDIT; current usage; information about submitting reports; planned next steps and how anyone can become involved., Method: STARDIT development is guided by participatory action research paradigms, and has been co-created with people from multiple disciplines and countries. Co-authors include cancer patients, people affected by rare diseases, health researchers, environmental researchers, economists, librarians and academic publishers. The co-authors also worked with Indigenous peoples from multiple countries and in partnership with an organisation working with Indigenous Australians., Results and Discussion: Over 100 people from multiple disciplines and countries have been involved in co-designing STARDIT since 2019. STARDIT is the first open access web-based data-sharing system which standardises the way that information about initiatives is reported across diverse fields and disciplines, including information about which tasks were done by which stakeholders. STARDIT is designed to work with existing data standards. STARDIT data will be released into the public domain (CC0) and integrated into Wikidata; it works across multiple languages and is both human and machine readable. Reports can be updated throughout the lifetime of an initiative, from planning to evaluation, allowing anyone to be involved in reporting impacts and outcomes. STARDIT is the first system that enables sharing of standardised data about initiatives across disciplines. A working Beta version was publicly released in February 2021 (ScienceforAll.World/STARDIT). Subsequently, STARDIT reports have been created for peer-reviewed research in multiple journals and multiple research projects, demonstrating the usability. In addition, organisations including Cochrane and Australian Genomics have created prospective reports outlining planned initiatives., Conclusions: STARDIT can help create high-quality standardised information on initiatives trying to solve complex multidisciplinary global problems., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Using direct observations and camera traps at eight sites across Indonesian Borneo we show how red langurs (Presbytis rubicunda) are more terrestrial than previously believed, regularly coming to the ground. This unusual behavior has been found at six of the eight sites surveyed. We find that red langurs come to the ground more frequently in disturbed forests, specifically ones which have been impacted by logging, fire, and hunting, though more data are needed to confirm this as a direct correlation. We also found a trend towards decreased ground use with increased elevation of the habitat. When on the ground, red langurs are predominantly engaged in feeding (50% direct observations, 61% camera traps) and traveling (29% direct observations, 13% camera traps). Red langurs are found on the ground throughout the day, at similar times to activity periods of the apex predator, the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi). We suggest that ground use by red langurs could be an adaptation to disturbed forest to exploit additional food sources and to facilitate travel.

Background: Detection and treatment of mental illness in indigenous communities is often complicated by cross cultural difference, social complexity and comorbid disorders., Objective: This article discusses the development of self management skills in mental health, with particular reference to the use of brief interventions in remote indigenous communities, and highlights qualitative findings of a recent study which sought to integrate these interventions into a practical approach to treatment., Discussion: Shifting to a self management and recovery orientation of mental health services has proven to be challenging. The challenges to autonomy and ownership of treatment plans are even more manifest for indigenous people. Therefore, there is a need to focus on effective and efficient brief interventions that promote self management.royal, australian, college, general, practitioner, gp, doctor, medical, practice, racgp, health, care, medication, information, practitioners, family, physician, afp, December, 2008, Indigenous, Health, motivational, care, planning