Recent changes to US research funding are having far-reaching consequences that imperil the integrity of science and the provision of care to vulnerable populations. Resisting these changes, the BJPsych Portfolio reaffirms its commitment to publishing mental science and advancing psychiatric knowledge that improves the mental health of one and all.

Objectives/Goals: Digital recruitment can improve participant engagement in medical research, but its potential to introduce demographic and socioeconomic biases is unclear. This study investigates pathways participants took during a digital recruitment workflow in neurology, examining potential associations with socioeconomic and demographic factors. Methods/Study Population: As part of an ongoing study aiming to remotely capture speech from patients with neurologic disease, most participants seen in neurology on our campus are invited to complete a self-administered speech examination. We exported participant data from Epic (semi-automated identification and invitation), Qualtrics (eligibility screening), the participant tracking database (consent), and the recording platform (completion) for March to July 2024. Data visualization was performed using a Sankey diagram. Socioeconomic status was assessed using the housing-based socioeconomic status (HOUSES) index and area deprivation index (ADI) national rank. Kruskal–Wallis and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare the median age, socioeconomic indices, and time taken to reach different steps of the study. Results/Anticipated Results: Of the 5846 invited participants, 57% were from urban areas, 23% from rural areas, and 20% from urban clusters. Most did not read/respond (2739) or declined (1749) the initial invitation via Epic. Of the 1358 interested participants, 415 completed the study. Participants from urban areas completed enrollment steps faster than those from rural areas and urban clusters, though the variance was large (42.6 ± 41.4 days vs. 50.6 ± 42.2 days and 50 ± 43.9 days, respectively; p  =  0.030). Female participants took longer to complete enrollment than males (48.7 ± 44 days vs. 40.5 ± 38.8 days; p  =  0.026). Participants who successfully finished the study had significantly lower ADI national ranks compared to other common pathways (40.6 ± 19; p  =  0.0021). No associations were found with the HOUSES indices. Discussion/Significance of Impact: Our findings support differences in participant engagement, with urban participants and males more likely to complete enrollment steps. Those who finished the study were less disadvantaged suggesting potential bias in digital recruitment. These findings can inform strategies to improve digital recruitment in neurology research.

This editorial considers the value and nature of academic psychiatry by asking what defines the specialty and psychiatrists as academics. We frame academic psychiatry as a way of thinking that benefits clinical services and discuss how to inspire the next generation of academics.

Hypertension and depression are increasingly common noncommunicable diseases in Ghana and worldwide, yet both are poorly controlled. We sought to understand how healthcare workers in rural Ghana conceptualize the interaction between hypertension and depression, and how care for these two conditions might best be integrated. We conducted a qualitative descriptive study involving in-depth interviews with 34 healthcare workers in the Kassena-Nankana districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana. We used conventional content analysis to systematically review interview transcripts, code the data content and analyze codes for salient themes. Respondents detailed three discrete conceptual models. Most emphasized depression as causing hypertension: through both emotional distress and unhealthy behavior. Others posited a bidirectional relationship, where cardiovascular morbidity worsened mood, or described a single set of underlying causes for both conditions. Nearly all proposed health interventions targeted their favored root cause of these disorders. In this representative rural Ghanaian community, healthcare workers widely agreed that cardiovascular disease and mental illness are physiologically linked and warrant an integrated care response, but held diverse views regarding precisely how and why. There was widespread support for a single primary care intervention to treat both conditions through counseling and medication.

Motor unit number index of the upper trapezius (MUNIX-Trapezius) is a candidate biomarker for bulbar lower motor neuron function; however, reliability data is incomplete. To assess MUNIX-Trapezius reliability in controls, we conducted a systematic review, a cross-sectional study (n = 20), and a meta-analysis. We demonstrated a high inter- and intra-rater intraclass correlation (0.86 and 0.94, respectively), indicating that MUNIX-Trapezius is reliable with between-study variability moderated by age and MUNIX technique. With further validation, this measure can serve as a disease monitoring and response biomarker of bulbar function in the therapeutic development for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

The Variables and Slow Transients Survey (VAST) on the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) is designed to detect highly variable and transient radio sources on timescales from 5 s to $\sim\!5$ yr. In this paper, we present the survey description, observation strategy and initial results from the VAST Phase I Pilot Survey. This pilot survey consists of $\sim\!162$ h of observations conducted at a central frequency of 888 MHz between 2019 August and 2020 August, with a typical rms sensitivity of $0.24\ \mathrm{mJy\ beam}^{-1}$ and angular resolution of $12-20$ arcseconds. There are 113 fields, each of which was observed for 12 min integration time, with between 5 and 13 repeats, with cadences between 1 day and 8 months. The total area of the pilot survey footprint is 5 131 square degrees, covering six distinct regions of the sky. An initial search of two of these regions, totalling 1 646 square degrees, revealed 28 highly variable and/or transient sources. Seven of these are known pulsars, including the millisecond pulsar J2039–5617. Another seven are stars, four of which have no previously reported radio detection (SCR J0533–4257, LEHPM 2-783, UCAC3 89–412162 and 2MASS J22414436–6119311). Of the remaining 14 sources, two are active galactic nuclei, six are associated with galaxies and the other six have no multi-wavelength counterparts and are yet to be identified.

As Americans’ trust in their government—most specifically Congress—has declined over the past half century, it has become increasingly important to answer the question of who does or does not trust government and why. Trust research tends to take for granted that sex affects trust—most studies control for it—but results have been mixed. This could be because researchers have been looking at the wrong aspect of gender, relying on the traditional distinction of sex rather than an alternative—the non-sex-specific distinction of feminine personality traits. These traits are communal in nature, and as such, they may lead to higher levels of trust in government. This article analyzes the potential effect of femininity, demonstrating that feminine personalities are significantly more trusting of our governing institutions than nonfeminine personalities.

What explains why some Latinos feel strongly tied to their coethnics while others do not? Demographic context is one of the most cited predictors of identity strength, but the size and direction of its effects are disputed. Geographic differences in policy environments may explain the phenomenon. We argue that high levels of immigration enforcement indirectly lead to increased feelings of ethnic linked fate by determining where and how demographic context—in this case, the size of the immigrant population—will be salient. To test this, we combine information from local immigration-enforcement data (obtained via Freedom of Information Act requests) with the Latino Decisions' 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey. The results suggest native-born Latinos have a stronger sense of ethnic linked fate when they live near large immigrant populations and rates of enforcement are high. When enforcement is low, the presence of immigrants has a negligible effect on native-born attitudes. Foreign-born Latinos' sense of linked fate is unaffected by policy context. These results suggest that as immigration enforcement becomes intensifies, conservative politicians may see increased backlash, at least in certain communities, from native-born Latinos. This is because feelings about ethnic linked fate correlate with increased participation and more proimmigrant policy stances.

Neonatal aortic thrombosis is a rare occurrence but can be life-threatening. Most aortic thrombosis in neonates is related to umbilical artery catheters. A case of a neonate with a spontaneous aortic thrombosis is described here along with a comprehensive review of the literature for cases of neonatal aortic thrombosis not related to any intravascular device or procedure. The aetiologies of these spontaneous thromboses and the relevance of hypercoagulable disorders are discussed. The cases were analysed for odds of death by treatment method adjusted for era. The reference treatment method was thrombolysis and anticoagulation. No other treatment modality had significantly lower odds than the reference. Surgery alone had higher odds for death than the reference, but this may be confounded by severity of case. The management recommendations for clinicians encountering neonates with spontaneous neonatal aortic thrombosis are discussed.

In the USA, western Washington (WWA) and the Alaska (AK) Interior are two regions where maritime and continental climates, high latitude and cropping systems necessitate early maturing spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Both regions aim to increase the production of hard spring bread wheat for human consumption to support regional agriculture and food systems. The Nordic region of Europe has a history of breeding for early maturing spring wheat and also experiences long daylengths with mixed maritime and continental climates. Nordic wheat also carries wildtype (wt) NAM-B1, an allele associated with accelerated senescence and increased grain protein and micronutrient content, at a higher frequency than global germplasm. Time to senescence, yield, protein and mineral content were evaluated on 42 accessions of Nordic hard red spring wheat containing wt NAM-B1 over 2 years on experimental stations in WWA and the AK Interior. Significant variation was found by location and accession for time to senescence, suggesting potential parental lines for breeding programmes targeting early maturity. Additionally, multiple regression analysis showed that decreased time to senescence correlated negatively with grain yield and positively with grain protein, iron and zinc content. Breeding for early maturity in these regions will need to account for this potential trade-off in yield. Nordic wt NAM-B1 accessions with early senescence yet with yields similar to regional checks are reported. Collaboration among alternative wheat regions can aid in germplasm exchange and varietal development as shown here for the early maturing trait.

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The objective of this study is to assess differences in outcomes between African Americans (AAs) and whites along the HCV care cascade. Primary outcome was retention in the HCV care cascade, measured in two ways. For viral RNA confirmation, retention was a percentage of those having screened antibody reactive. For hepatic ultrasound, primary care, HCV specialty clinic, treatment initiation, and sustained viral load (SVR), retention was a percentage of those found chronically infected by positive RNA viral load. Secondary outcome was time to follow-up from antibody screening to each subsequent step in the care cascade. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A retrospective cohort study was performed. AA and white patients who tested HCV antibody reactive from March to October 2015 at the University Medical Center (UMC) Emergency Department in New Orleans, LA were included in this study. Outcomes were assessed using the HCV Continuum of Care model, delineating successive stages of care from identification to cure. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: A total of 728 patients screened HCV antibody reactive, including 446 AAs and 282 whites. AAs (53.5 years, SD 10.2) were disproportionately older than whites (46.7 years, SD 11.9) (p <0.001), more likely to be insured (89.2% vs 78.7%, p<0.001), had higher rates of Medicare (28.0% vs 12.1%, p<0.001), and less frequent history of intravenous drug use (IVDU) (32.3% vs 46.1%, p<0.001). For AAs, retention in the treatment cascade was 96.2% for viral RNA confirmation, 50.9% for hepatic ultrasound, 26.8% for primary care, 35.2% for HCV specialty clinic, 14.5% for treatment initiation, and 9.6% for sustained viral response (SVR). Among whites, retention in the treatment cascade was 96.8% for viral RNA confirmation, 37.8% for hepatic ultrasound, 16.1% for primary care, 23.3% for HCV specialty clinic, 8.8% for treatment initiation, and 7.8% for SVR. AAs had a higher likelihood of receiving a hepatic ultrasound (OR=1.70; CI=1.19-2.25; p<0.005), following up with primary care (OR = 1.91, CI=1.21-3.02, p<0.005), and attending the viral hepatitis specialty clinic (OR=1.79, CI=1.20-2.68, p<0.005), as compared to their white counterparts. After adjusting for age, insurance, and history of IVDU, AAs did not have a higher likelihood of receiving a hepatic ultrasound (aOR=1.09, CI=0.995-1.19) or seeking primary care (aOR=1.05, CI=0.98-1.14). AAs had attenuated odds of attending viral hepatitis specialty clinic (aOR=1.09, CI = 1.01-1.19). There was no statistically significant difference in follow-up time in the treatment cascade for AAs versus whites. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Race alone cannot explain differences in achievement along the care cascade. Significant differences in retention along the HCV care cascade appear to be related primarily to differences in age and insurance status. In our population, older AAs are disproportionately insured through Medicare, thereby expanding their access to health resources. Their white counterparts are younger and more uninsured, leading to decreased access to care and ability to attend HCV follow-up appointments. ED HCV screening programs are still in their infancy and have opportunities to improve their linkage to care rates. Additional interventions are needed to better connect patients screened positive in the ED to HCV specialist care, preserving equity across racial groups.

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) are sites identified as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations on the basis of an internationally agreed set of criteria. We present the first review of the development and spread of the IBA concept since it was launched by BirdLife International (then ICBP) in 1979 and examine some of the characteristics of the resulting inventory. Over 13,000 global and regional IBAs have so far been identified and documented in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems in almost all of the world’s countries and territories, making this the largest global network of sites of significance for biodiversity. IBAs have been identified using standardised, data-driven criteria that have been developed and applied at global and regional levels. These criteria capture multiple dimensions of a site’s significance for avian biodiversity and relate to populations of globally threatened species (68.6% of the 10,746 IBAs that meet global criteria), restricted-range species (25.4%), biome-restricted species (27.5%) and congregatory species (50.3%); many global IBAs (52.7%) trigger two or more of these criteria. IBAs range in size from < 1 km2 to over 300,000 km2 and have an approximately log-normal size distribution (median = 125.0 km2, mean = 1,202.6 km2). They cover approximately 6.7% of the terrestrial, 1.6% of the marine and 3.1% of the total surface area of the Earth. The launch in 2016 of the KBA Global Standard, which aims to identify, document and conserve sites that contribute to the global persistence of wider biodiversity, and whose criteria for site identification build on those developed for IBAs, is a logical evolution of the IBA concept. The role of IBAs in conservation planning, policy and practice is reviewed elsewhere. Future technical priorities for the IBA initiative include completion of the global inventory, particularly in the marine environment, keeping the dataset up to date, and improving the systematic monitoring of these sites.