Accurate redshift measurements are essential for studying the evolution of quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) and their role in cosmic structure formation. While spectroscopic redshifts provide high precision, they are impractical for the vast number of sources detected in large-scale surveys. Photometric redshifts, derived from broadband fluxes, offer an efficient alternative, particularly when combined with machine learning techniques. In this work, we develop and evaluate a neural network model for predicting the redshifts of QSOs in the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) Early Data Release spectroscopic catalogue, using photometry from DESI, the Widefield Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) and the Galactic Evolution Explorer (GALEX).We compare the performance of the neural network model against a k-Nearest Neighbours approach, these being the most accurate and least resource-intensive of the methods trialled herein, optimising model parameters and assessing accuracy with standard statistical metrics. Our results show that incorporating ultraviolet photometry from GALEX improves photometric redshift estimates, reducing scatter and catastrophic outliers compared to models trained only on near infrared and optical bands. The neural network achieves a correlation coefficient with spectroscopic redshift of 0.9187 with normalised median absolute deviation of 0.197, representing a significant improvement over other methods. Our work combines DESI, WISE and GALEX measurements, providing robust predictions which address the difficulties in predicting photometric redshift of QSOs over a large redshift range.

Poor iron status is one of the most prevalent problems facing infants worldwide, in both developing and developed countries(1). A complex interplay of both dietary and non-dietary factors affects iron intake, absorption, and requirements, and subsequently iron status(2). We aimed to describe iron status in an ethnically diverse cohort of urban-dwelling infants. Data were collected from 364 infants aged 7.0 to 10.0 months living in two main urban centres in New Zealand (Auckland and Dunedin) between July 2020 and February 2022. Participants were grouped by total ethnicity, with any participants who did not identify as either Māori or Pacific categorised into a single ‘others’ group. Haemoglobin, plasma ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), C-Reactive protein, and alpha-1-acid-glycoprotein were obtained from a non-fasting venous blood sample. Inflammation was adjusted for using the Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anaemia (BRINDA) method(3). Body iron concentration (mg/kg body weight) was calculated using the ratio of sTfR and ferritin. A total of 96.3% of Pacific infants were iron sufficient, defined as body iron ≥0 mg/kg body weight and haemoglobin (Hb) ≥105 g/L, compared to 82.3% of Māori and 76.0% of ‘other’ (i.e. neither Māori nor Pacific) infants. ‘Other’ infants had the highest prevalence of iron deficiency overall, with 2.8% categorised with iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) (body iron <0 mg/kg, haemoglobin <105 g/L), 11.8% with early ‘functional’ iron deficiency (body iron <0 mg/kg, haemoglobin ≥105 g/L), and 9.4% with iron depletion (ferritin <15 µg/L, in the absence of early ‘functional’ iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia). For Māori infants, 3.2% and 6.5% had IDA and early ‘functional’ iron deficiency respectively, and 8.1% were iron depleted. One (3.7%) Pacific infant was iron depleted, and the remainder were iron sufficient. Plasma ferritin and body iron concentration were, on average, higher in Pacific compared to non-Pacific infants. These findings give an up-to-date and robust understanding of the iron status of infants by ethnicity, highlighting an unexpected finding that infants who are neither Māori nor Pacific may be at higher risk of poor iron status in NZ.

Background: TERT promoter mutation (TPM) is an established biomarker in meningiomas associated with aberrant TERT expression and reduced progression-free survival (PFS). TERT expression, however, has also been observed even in tumours with wildtype TERT promoters (TP-WT). This study aimed to examine TERT expression and clinical outcomes in meningiomas. Methods: TERT expression, TPM status, and TERT promoter methylation of a multi-institutional cohort of meningiomas (n=1241) was assessed through nulk RNA sequencing (n=604), Sanger sequencing of the promoter (n=1095), and methylation profiling (n=1218). 380 Toronto meningiomas were used for discovery, and 861 external institution samples were compiled as a validation cohort. Results: Both TPMs and TERTpromoter methylation were associated with increased TERT expression and may represent independent mechanisms of TERT reactivation. TERT expression was detected in 30.4% of meningiomas that lacked TPMs, was associated with higher WHO grades, and corresponded to shorter PFS, independent of grade and even among TP-WT tumours. TERT expression was associated with a shorter PFS equivalent to those of TERT-negative meningiomas of one higher grade. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the prognostic significance of TERT expression in meningiomas, even in the absence of TPMs. Its presence may identify patients who may progress earlier and should be considered in risk stratification models.

Background: The WHO grade of meningioma was updated in 2021 to include homozygous deletions of CDKN2A/B and TERT promotor mutations. Previous work including the recent cIMPACT-NOW statement have discussed the potential value of including chromosomal copy number alterations to help refine the current grading system. Methods: Chromosomal copy number profiles were inferred from from 1964 meningiomas using DNA methylation. Regularized Cox regresssion was used to identify CNAs independenly associated with post-surgical and post-RT PFS. Outcomes were stratified by WHO grade and novel CNAs to assess their potential value in WHO critiera. Results: Patients with WHO grade 1 tumours and chromosome 1p loss had similar outcomes to those with WHO grade 2 tumours (median PFS 5.83 [95% CI 4.36-Inf] vs 4.48 [4.09-5.18] years). Those with chromosome 1p loss and 1q gain had similar outcomes to those with WHO grade 3 cases regardless of initial grade (median PFS 2.23 [1.28-Inf] years WHO grade 1, 1.90 [1.23-2.25] years WHO grade 2, compared to 2.27 [1.68-3.05] years in WHO grade 3 cases overall). Conclusions: We advocate for chromosome 1p loss being added as a criterion for a CNS WHO grade of 2 meningioma and addition of 1q gain as a criterion for a CNS WHO grade of 3.

Background: Canadian neurosurgery residency programs have an alarming 28.4% attrition rate—seven times higher than the average for most other specialties (1–4%) and double that of US neurosurgery programs. Canadian data for this issue is over 30 years old, highlighting the need for updated research. This study identifies factors contributing to Canadian neurosurgery attrition rates. Methods: Using critical constructivist theory, virtual interviews were conducted with current program directors (PDs) from Canada’s 14 neurosurgery programs and neurosurgery residents who left training between 2013–2023. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, anonymized, and iteratively coded through descriptive thematic analysis to construct an analytical framework. Results: We conducted interviews with 7 PDs and 7 former neurosurgery residents, representing 7 neurosurgery programs across Canada. The average attrition rate was 14.11% (0%–28.6%) from 2013–2023. Contributing factors include poor job prospects in Canada, resource constraints leading to high workloads, poor work-life balance, moral distress due to high levels of patient mortality, and a lack of teaching and support from staff and senior residents. Conclusions: Neurosurgery residents are the future of neurosurgery. Our study uncovers factors contributing to high attrition rates in neurosurgery training, indicating that change must come from provincial governments and within training programs to retain residents.

The Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) Pilot Wrap-Around Support Initiative, implemented in the 2023 pilot funding cycle, was designed to help research teams access comprehensive research support for their pilot projects throughout the entire funding cycle. The overall goal of the initiative is to support researchers to improve timely and successful completion of project aims with a high likelihood of receiving follow-on external funding to advance clinical and translational science. This initiative builds upon existing CTSI resources by adding new support mechanisms, including Core consultations during application development, a pilot project Principal Investigator (PI) orientation meeting, and team science collaboration planning for funded teams. In the 2023 and 2024 funding cycles, we received 55 letters of intent and 23 invited full applications. Pilot project PIs engaged in each of our new and existing support mechanisms to various degrees, resulting in six funded projects that started July 1, 2024 and four funded projects set to begin July 1, 2025. Plans for the initiative include supporting access to clinical research staff through a CTSI staffing program and overarching pilot project evaluation to guide future programmatic improvement.

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) offers powerful new capabilities for studying the polarised and magnetised Universe at radio wavelengths. In this paper, we introduce the Polarisation Sky Survey of the Universe’s Magnetism (POSSUM), a groundbreaking survey with three primary objectives: (1) to create a comprehensive Faraday rotation measure (RM) grid of up to one million compact extragalactic sources across the southern $\sim50$% of the sky (20,630 deg$^2$); (2) to map the intrinsic polarisation and RM properties of a wide range of discrete extragalactic and Galactic objects over the same area; and (3) to contribute interferometric data with excellent surface brightness sensitivity, which can be combined with single-dish data to study the diffuse Galactic interstellar medium. Observations for the full POSSUM survey commenced in May 2023 and are expected to conclude by mid-2028. POSSUM will achieve an RM grid density of around 30–50 RMs per square degree with a median measurement uncertainty of $\sim$1 rad m$^{-2}$. The survey operates primarily over a frequency range of 800–1088 MHz, with an angular resolution of 20” and a typical RMS sensitivity in Stokes Q or U of 18 $\mu$Jy beam$^{-1}$. Additionally, the survey will be supplemented by similar observations covering 1296–1440 MHz over 38% of the sky. POSSUM will enable the discovery and detailed investigation of magnetised phenomena in a wide range of cosmic environments, including the intergalactic medium and cosmic web, galaxy clusters and groups, active galactic nuclei and radio galaxies, the Magellanic System and other nearby galaxies, galaxy halos and the circumgalactic medium, and the magnetic structure of the Milky Way across a very wide range of scales, as well as the interplay between these components. This paper reviews the current science case developed by the POSSUM Collaboration and provides an overview of POSSUM’s observations, data processing, outputs, and its complementarity with other radio and multi-wavelength surveys, including future work with the SKA.

Current clinical guidelines for people at risk of heart disease in Australia recommend nutrition intervention in conjunction with pharmacotherapy(1). However, Australians living in rural and remote regions have less access to medical nutritional therapy (MNT) provided by Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) than their urban counterparts(2). The aim of the HealthyRHearts study was to trial the delivery of MNT by APDs using telehealth to eligible patients of General Practitioners (GPs) located in small to large rural towns in the Hunter New England region(3) of New South Wales, Australia. The study design was a 12-month pragmatic randomised controlled trial. The key outcome was reduced total cholesterol. The study was place-based, meaning many of the research team and APDs were based rurally, to ensure the context of the GPs and patients was already known. Eligible participants were those assessed as moderate-to-high risk of CVD by their GP. People in the intervention group received five MNT consults (totalling two hours) delivered via telehealth by APDs, and also answered a personalised nutrition questionnaire to guide their priorities and to support personalised dietary behaviour change during the counselling. Both intervention and control groups received usual care from their GP and were provided access to the Australian Eating Survey (Heart version), a 242-item online food frequency questionnaire with technology-supported personalised nutrition reports that evaluated intake relative to heart healthy eating principles. Of the 192 people who consented to participate, 132 were eligible due to their moderate-to-high risk. Pre-post participant medication use with a registered indication(4) for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and glycemic control were documented according to class and strength (defined daily dose: DDD)(5). Nine GP practices (with 91 participants recruited) were randomised to the intervention group and seven practices (41 participants) were randomised to control. Intervention participants attended 4.3 ± 1.4 out of 5 dietetic consultations offered. Of the132 people with baseline clinical chemistry, 103 also provided a 12-month sample. Mean total cholesterol at baseline was 4.97 ± 1.13 mmol/L for both groups, with 12-m reduction of 0.26 ± 0.77 for intervention and 0.28 ± 0.79 for control (p = 0.90, unadjusted value). Median (IQR) number of medications for the intervention group was 2 (1–3) at both baseline and 12 months (p = 0.78) with 2 (1–3) and 3 (2–3) for the control group respectively. Combined DDD of all medications was 2.1 (0.5–3.8) and 2.5 (0.75–4.4) at baseline and 12 months (p = 0.77) for the intervention group and 2.7 (1.5–4.0) and 3.0 (2.0–4.5) for the control group (p = 0.30). Results suggest that medications were a significant contributor to the management of total cholesterol. Further analysis is required to evaluate changes in total cholesterol attributable to medication prescription relative to the MNT counselling received by the intervention group.

Traditional foods are increasingly being incorporated into modern diets. This is largely driven by consumers seeking alternative food sources that have superior nutritional and functional properties. Within Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are looking to develop their traditional foods for commercial markets. However, supporting evidence to suggest these foods are safe for consumption within the wider general population is limited. At the 2022 NSA conference a keynote presentation titled ‘Decolonising food regulatory frameworks to facilitate First Peoples food sovereignty’ was presented. This presentation was followed by a manuscript titled ‘Decolonising food regulatory frameworks: Importance of recognising traditional culture when assessing dietary safety of traditional foods’, which was published in the conference proceedings journal(1). These pieces examined the current regulatory frameworks that are used to assess traditional foods and proposed a way forward that would allow Traditional Custodians to successfully develop their foods for modern markets. Building upon the previously highlighted works, this presentation will showcase best practice Indigenous engagement and collaboration principles in the development of traditionally used food products. To achieve this, we collaborated with a collective of Gamilaraay peoples who are looking to reignite their traditional grain practices and develop grain-based food products. To meet the current food safety regulatory requirements, we needed to understand how this grain would fit into modern diets, which included understanding the history of use, elucidating the nutritional and functional properties that can be attributed to the grain, and developing a safety dossier(2) so that the Traditional Custodians can confidently take their product to market. To aid the Traditional Custodians in performing their due diligence, we have systemically analysed the dietary safety of the selected native grain and compared it side-by-side with commonly consumed wheat in a range of in vitro bioassays and chemical analyses. From a food safety perspective, we show that the native grain is equivalent to commonly consumed wheat. The native grain has been shown to be no more toxic than wheat within our biological screening systems. Chemical analysis showed that the level of contaminants are below tolerable limits, and we were not able to identify any chemical classes of concern. Our initial findings support the history of safe use and suggest that the tested native grain species would be no less safe than commonly consumed wheat. This risk assessment and previously published nutritional study(3) provides an overall indication that the grain is nutritionally superior and viable for commercial development. The learnings from this project can direct the future risk assessment of traditional foods and therefore facilitate the safe market access of a broader range of traditionally used foods. Importantly, the methods presented are culturally safe and financially viable for the small businesses hoping to enter the market.

Incorporating paleontological data into phylogenetic inference can greatly enrich our understanding of evolutionary relationships by providing insights into the diversity and morphological evolution of a clade over geological timescales. Phylogenetic analysis of fossil data has been significantly aided by the introduction of the fossilized birth–death (FBD) process, a model that accounts for fossil sampling through time. A decade on from the first implementation of the FBD model, we explore its use in more than 170 empirical studies, summarizing insights gained through its application. We identify a number of challenges in applying the model in practice: it requires a working knowledge of paleontological data and their complex properties, Bayesian phylogenetics, and the mechanics of evolutionary models. To address some of these difficulties, we provide an introduction to the Bayesian phylogenetic framework, discuss important aspects of paleontological data, and finally describe the assumptions of the models used in paleobiology. We also present a number of exemplar empirical studies that have used the FBD model in different ways. Through this review, we aim to provide clarity on how paleontological data can best be used in phylogenetic inference. We hope to encourage communication between model developers and empirical researchers, with the ultimate goal of developing models that better reflect the data we have and the processes that generated them.

Objectives/Goals: The Standards for Reporting Implementation Studies (StaRI) are the Enhancing the Quality and Transparency of Health Research (EQUATOR) Network 27-item checklist for Implementation Science. This study quantifies StaRI adherence among self-defined Implementation Science studies in published Learning Health Systems (LHS) research. Methods/Study Population: A medical librarian-designed a search strategy identified original Implementation Science research published in one of the top 20 Implementation Science journals between 2017 and 2021. Inclusion criteria included studies or protocols describing the implementation of any intervention in healthcare settings. Exclusion criteria included concept papers, non-implementation research, or editorials. Full-text documents were reviewed by two investigators to abstract and judge StaRI implementation and intervention adherence, partial adherence, or non-adherence. Results/Anticipated Results: A total of 330 documents were screened, 97 met inclusion criteria, and 47 were abstracted including 30 research studies and 17 protocols. Adherence to individual StaRI reporting items ranged from 13% to 100%. Most StaRI items were reported in >60% of manuscripts and protocols. The lowest adherence in research studies was noted around economic evaluation reporting for implementation (16%) or intervention (13%) strategies, harms (13%), contextual changes (30%), or fidelity of either the intervention (34%) or implementation (53%) approach. Subgroup analyses were infrequently contemplated or reported (43%). In protocols, the implications of the implementation strategy (41%) or intervention approach (47%) were not commonly reported. Discussion/Significance of Impact: When leveraging implementation science to report reproducible and sustainable practice change initiatives, LHS researchers will need to include assessments of economics, harms, context, and fidelity in order to attain higher levels of adherence to EQUATOR’s StaRI checklist.

Objectives/Goals: Second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) are used to treat mental disorders in youth but are linked metabolic syndrome (MetS). Most data on prescribing practices and risk factors are from short-term studies (6–12 months). We aim to characterize prescribing and identify clinical and genetic predictors of MetS using electronic health records (EHR). Methods/Study Population: EHR data were extracted from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) for patients aged ≤21 years prescribed SGAs from 7/1/2009 and 7/1/2024, identifying prescribing prevalence. Next steps are to create an SGA-MetS case–control dataset 8 weeks after an SGA prescription. A case will be defined by meeting 3 of 5 criteria: 1) BMI ≥95th percentile for age/sex; 2) fasting glucose ≥100 mg/dL or use of anti-diabetics; 3) triglycerides ≥110 mg/dL; 4) HDL-C ≤40 mg/dL; 5) systolic/diastolic BP ≥90th percentile for age/sex or use of antihypertensives. The prevalence of SGA-MetS will be calculated by dividing SGA-MetS cases by total SGA users. Logistic regression will identify clinical predictors of MetS, and we will evaluate the association of polygenic risk scores (PRS) of BMI and type 2 diabetes with SGA-MetS risk. Results/Anticipated Results: Our preliminary analysis identified 30,076 patients who were prescribed SGAs (mean age 12 years, SD = 4; 58.8% female; n =  17685). Most self-identified as non-Hispanic (95%, n = 28,595) and of White race (76%; n =  22,935), with 18.5% self-identifying as Black or African American (n = 5,579). The most commonly prescribed SGAs were risperidone (n = 12,382, 41.1%), aripiprazole (n = 9,847, 32.7%), and quetiapine (n = 5,263, 17.5%), with much lower prescribing rates of other SGA known of their low risk of MetS (e.g., ziprasidone 5.5%, lurasidone 1.4%, paliperidone (n = 316, 1.1%), or others cariprazine (n = 72), asenapine (n = 43), brexipiprazole (n = 39), iloperidone (n = 24), and clozapine (n = 20). Discussion/Significance of Impact: Our analyses found that risperidone, quetiapine, and aripiprazole were the most prescribed SGA, with risperidone/quetiapine linked to a higher risk of MetS. We will present ongoing work identifying risk factors for SGA-MetS and examining the association with PRS. Our work has the potential to identify high-risk patients for personalized treatment.

We provide an assessment of the Infinity Two fusion pilot plant (FPP) baseline plasma physics design. Infinity Two is a four-field period, aspect ratio $A = 10$, quasi-isodynamic stellarator with improved confinement appealing to a max-$J$ approach, elevated plasma density and high magnetic fields ($ \langle B\rangle = 9$ T). Here $J$ denotes the second adiabatic invariant. At the envisioned operating point ($800$ MW deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion), the configuration has robust magnetic surfaces based on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equilibrium calculations and is stable to both local and global MHD instabilities. The configuration has excellent confinement properties with small neoclassical transport and low bootstrap current ($|I_{bootstrap}| \sim 2$ kA). Calculations of collisional alpha-particle confinement in a DT FPP scenario show small energy losses to the first wall (${\lt}1.5 \,\%$) and stable energetic particle/Alfvén eigenmodes at high ion density. Low turbulent transport is produced using a combination of density profile control consistent with pellet fueling and reduced stiffness to turbulent transport via three-dimensional shaping. Transport simulations with the T3D-GX-SFINCS code suite with self-consistent turbulent and neoclassical transport predict that the DT fusion power$P_{{fus}}=800$ MW operating point is attainable with high fusion gain ($Q=40$) at volume-averaged electron densities $n_e\approx 2 \times 10^{20}$ m$^{-3}$, below the Sudo density limit. Additional transport calculations show that an ignited ($Q=\infty$) solution is available at slightly higher density ($2.2 \times 10^{20}$ m$^{-3}$) with $P_{{fus}}=1.5$ GW. The magnetic configuration is defined by a magnetic coil set with sufficient room for an island divertor, shielding and blanket solutions with tritium breeding ratios (TBR) above unity. An optimistic estimate for the gas-cooled solid breeder designed helium-cooled pebble bed is TBR $\sim 1.3$. Infinity Two satisfies the physics requirements of a stellarator fusion pilot plant.

Quantum field theory predicts a nonlinear response of the vacuum to strong electromagnetic fields of macroscopic extent. This fundamental tenet has remained experimentally challenging and is yet to be tested in the laboratory. A particularly distinct signature of the resulting optical activity of the quantum vacuum is vacuum birefringence. This offers an excellent opportunity for a precision test of nonlinear quantum electrodynamics in an uncharted parameter regime. Recently, the operation of the high-intensity Relativistic Laser at the X-ray Free Electron Laser provided by the Helmholtz International Beamline for Extreme Fields has been inaugurated at the High Energy Density scientific instrument of the European X-ray Free Electron Laser. We make the case that this worldwide unique combination of an X-ray free-electron laser and an ultra-intense near-infrared laser together with recent advances in high-precision X-ray polarimetry, refinements of prospective discovery scenarios and progress in their accurate theoretical modelling have set the stage for performing an actual discovery experiment of quantum vacuum nonlinearity.