We have conducted a widefield, wideband, snapshot survey using the Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) referred to as the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS). RACS covers $\approx 90$% of the sky, with multiple observing epochs in three frequency bands sampling the ASKAP frequency range of 700–1 800 MHz. This paper describes the third major epoch at 1 655.5 MHz, RACS-high, and the subsequent imaging and catalogue data release. The RACS-high observations at 1 655.5 MHz are otherwise similar to the previously released RACS-mid (at 1 367.5 MHz) and were calibrated and imaged with minimal changes. From the 1 493 images covering the sky up to declination $\approx +48^\circ$, we present a catalogue of 2 677 509 radio sources. The catalogue is constructed from images with a median root-mean-square noise of $\approx 195$ $\unicode{x03BC}$Jy PSF$^{-1}$ (point-spread function) and a median angular resolution of $11{\stackrel{\prime\prime}{\raise-0pt\hbox{.}}}8 \times 8{\stackrel{\prime\prime}{\raise-0pt\hbox{.}}}1$. The overall reliability of the catalogue is estimated to be 99.18%, and we find a decrease in reliability as angular resolution improves. We estimate the brightness scale to be accurate to 10%, and the astrometric accuracy to be within $\approx 0{\stackrel{\prime\prime}{\raise-0pt\hbox{.}}}6$ in right ascension and $\approx 0{\stackrel{\prime\prime}{\raise-0pt\hbox{.}}}7$ in declination after correction of a systematic declination-dependent offset. All data products from RACS-high, including calibrated visibility datasets, images from individual observations, full-sensitivity mosaics, and the all-sky catalogue are available at the CSIRO ASKAP Science Data Archive.

The Automated Meteorology—Ice—Geophysics Observation System 3 (AMIGOS-3) is a multi-sensor on-ice ocean mooring and weather, camera and precision GPS measurement station, controlled by a Python script. The station is designed to be deployed on floating ice in the polar regions and operate unattended for up to several years. Ocean mooring sensors (SeaBird MicroCAT and Nortek Aquadopp) record conductivity, temperature and depth (reported at 10 min intervals), and current velocity (hourly intervals). A Silixa XT fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing system provides a temperature profile time-series through the ice and ocean column with a cadence of 6 d−1 to 1 week−1 depending on available station power. A subset of the station data is telemetered by Iridium modem. Two-way communication, using both single-burst data and file transfer protocols, facilitates station data collection changes and power management. Power is supplied by solar panels and a sealed lead-acid battery system. Two AMIGOS-3 systems were installed on the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf in January 2020, providing data well into 2022. We discuss the components of the system and present several of the data sets, summarizing observed climate, ice and ocean conditions.

Schizotypal traits include abnormalities in cognition, behavior, and interpersonal relationships that are similar, yet less severe than psychotic symptomology. It is estimated that approximately 5% of the general population displays psychotic symptoms and experiences that can be considered schizotypal in nature, but there is little research examining the neurological correlates of these traits. The mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential is an objective measure of auditory change detection derived from electroencephalography. The current study contributes to the limited body of evidence examining the neurobiological underpinnings of schizotypy in a non-clinical sample using the MMN. Participants were recruited from the general population and divided into high and low-schizotypy groups for comparison. Individuals with high schizotypal traits displayed reduced MMN amplitudes in response to frequency and location deviants, and longer MMN latencies in response to location deviants. Specific sub-traits of schizotypy were uniquely related to frequency and location amplitudes, suggesting the previously reported inconsistencies in the literature may be due to diverse samples and differing deviant tone types. Finally, impulsivity and sensation-seeking likely contributed to the slower processing seen in location deviance detection. Ultimately, the current results provide evidence that the neurobiological abnormalities seen in clinical populations of schizotypal personality disorder and psychosis also extend to non-clinical populations.

Cardiometabolic diseases are highly prevalent in Aotearoa New Zealand(1). Dietary intake is a modifiable risk factor for such diseases and certain dietary patterns, specifically the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet), are associated with improved metabolic health(2). This study aims to test whether an intervention of a Mediterranean dietary pattern incorporating high quality New Zealand foods (NZMedDiet pattern) using behaviour change science can improve the metabolic health of participants and their household/whānau. This is a multi-centre, three-stage trial, with two randomised controlled trials (RCTs), both parallel groups, superiority trials, and a longitudinal cohort study. The first RCT (RCT1) is a comparison of the NZMedDiet pattern implemented using behaviour science compared to usual diet for 12 weeks, and the second (RCT2) is a behaviour-change intervention compared to no intervention for 12 weeks, administered after participants have been exposed to the intervention in RCT1. The third stage is a longitudinal cohort study where all participants are followed for up to a year. The primary outcome measure for each stage is the metabolic syndrome severity score (MetSSS). Two hundred index participants and their household/whānau have been recruited and randomised into the trial. Participants are from four centres, two of which are University research units (University of Auckland (n = 57) and University of Otago, Christchurch (n = 60)), one a community-based traditional meeting place (Tu¯ Kotahi Māori Asthma and Research Trust at Ko¯kiri Marae in Lower Hutt, Wellington (n = 19)), and the other based at a hospital-based research unit (the Centre for Endocrine Diabetes and Obesity Research (CEDOR) in Wellington (n = 64). The trial will test whether the NZMedDiet pattern and behaviour change support improves the cardiometabolic health of people in New Zealand.

The aim of this study was to better understand the relation of schizotypy traits with sensory gating ability in a sample of community-dwelling individuals with high and low schizotypy traits. Sensory gating was assessed through the paired click paradigm and mid-latency evoked responses (i.e., P50, N100, P200), while schizotypy traits were assessed through the SPQ-BR which was used to classify participants into “high” and “low” schizotypy groups. Based on prior work, we hypothesized that those with the highest schizotypy scores would have reduced sensory gating ability. While this study does not show differences between relatively low and high schizotypy groups on sensory gating ability, it does suggest that our participants may have been experiencing deficits in attention allocation, a downstream cognitive processing measure. Scores on the SPQ-BR suggest that our sample was not close to the high end of the schizotypy traits which may help explain why no differences were found. This research shows the importance of including all levels of schizotypy ratings in clinical research as we can gain a clearer view of the impact of schizotypy on the brain and cognitive functioning in those with “high” levels of schizotypy. Additionally, this work highlights the importance of including measures of important factors such as impulsivity and sensation-seeking to better understand what aspects of schizotypy may be driving these sensory gating alterations reported in the literature.

We describe a new low-frequency wideband radio survey of the southern sky. Observations covering 72–231 MHz and Declinations south of $+30^\circ$ have been performed with the Murchison Widefield Array “extended” Phase II configuration over 2018–2020 and will be processed to form data products including continuum and polarisation images and mosaics, multi-frequency catalogues, transient search data, and ionospheric measurements. From a pilot field described in this work, we publish an initial data release covering 1,447$\mathrm{deg}^2$ over $4\,\mathrm{h}\leq \mathrm{RA}\leq 13\,\mathrm{h}$, $-32.7^\circ \leq \mathrm{Dec} \leq -20.7^\circ$. We process twenty frequency bands sampling 72–231 MHz, with a resolution of 2′–45′′, and produce a wideband source-finding image across 170–231 MHz with a root mean square noise of $1.27\pm0.15\,\mathrm{mJy\,beam}^{-1}$. Source-finding yields 78,967 components, of which 71,320 are fitted spectrally. The catalogue has a completeness of 98% at ${{\sim}}50\,\mathrm{mJy}$, and a reliability of 98.2% at $5\sigma$ rising to 99.7% at $7\sigma$. A catalogue is available from Vizier; images are made available via the PASA datastore, AAO Data Central, and SkyView. This is the first in a series of data releases from the GLEAM-X survey.

Based on an analysis of relevant laws and policies, regulator data portals, and information requests, we find that clinical data, including clinical study reports, submitted to the European Medicines Agency and Health Canada to support approval of medicines are routinely made publicly available.

Sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) has been established as a viable biomolecular proxy for tracking taxon presence through time in a local environment, even in the total absence of surviving tissues. SedaDNA is thought to survive through mineral binding, facilitating long-term biomolecular preservation, but also challenging DNA isolation. Two common limitations in sedaDNA extraction are the carryover of other substances that inhibit enzymatic reactions, and the loss of authentic sedaDNA when attempting to reduce inhibitor co-elution. Here, we present a sedaDNA extraction procedure paired with targeted enrichment intended to maximize DNA recovery. Our procedure exhibits a 7.7–19.3x increase in on-target plant and animal sedaDNA compared to a commercial soil extraction kit, and a 1.2–59.9x increase compared to a metabarcoding approach. To illustrate the effectiveness of our cold spin extraction and PalaeoChip capture enrichment approach, we present results for the diachronic presence of plants and animals from Yukon permafrost samples dating to the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, and discuss new potential evidence for the late survival (~9700 years ago) of mammoth (Mammuthus sp.) and horse (Equus sp.) in the Klondike region of Yukon, Canada. This enrichment approach translates to a more taxonomically diverse dataset and improved on-target sequencing.

The structure of prehnite Ca2Al(AlSi3O10)(OH)2, including H positions, has been determined by a combination of single-crystal X-ray diffraction and neutron powder diffraction on four natural samples. The symmetry of the average structure with Al/Si disordered at the T2 siteis Pncm. However, for four of the crystals studied, numerous violations of the n- and c-glide reflection conditions indicate lower symmetry corresponding to space groups P2cm and P2/n and Al-Si ordered structures, possibly as domains of different symmetries and ordering within a single crystal. Time-of-flight neutron powder diffraction was carried out on a sample from Mali at 293 K and 2 K. The structure was refined in space group Pncm by Rietveld analysis. Although it was not possible to locate the missing H using the 293 K neutron data, these data were used to refine the H position located approximately by single-crystal XRD and to refine Uiso. For the 2 K neutron powder diffraction data, H was located directly by difference-Fourier synthesis and its refined position found to be in close agreement with that obtained by the combined XRD/neutron 293 K dataset.

The commissioning and operation of apparatus for neutron diffraction at simultaneous high temperatures and pressures is reported. The basic design is based on the Paris-Edinburgh cell using opposed anvils, with internal heating. Temperature is measured using neutron radiography. The apparatus has been shown in both on-line and off-line tests to operate to a pressure of 7 GPa and temperature of 1700°C. The apparatus has been used in a neutron diffraction study of the crystal structure of deuterated brucite, and results for 520°C and 5.15 GPa are presented. The diffraction data that can be obtained from the apparatus are of comparable quality to previous high-pressure studies at ambient temperatures, and are clearly good enough for Rietveld refinement analysis to give structural data of reasonable quality.

Background: Heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in the synaptic scaffolding gene SHANK2 are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, their impact on the function of human neurons is unknown. Derivation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) from affected individuals permits generation of live neurons to answer this question. Methods: We generated iPSCs by reprogramming dermal fibroblasts of neurotypic and ASD-affected donors. To isolate the effect of SHANK2, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to knock out SHANK2 in control iPSCs and correct a heterozygous nonsense mutation in ASD-affected donor iPSCs. We then derived cortical neurons from SOX1+ neural precursor cells differentiated from these iPSCs. Using a novel assay that overcomes line-to-line variability, we compared neuronal morphology, total synapse number, and electrophysiological properties between SHANK2 mutants and controls. Results: Relative to controls, SHANK2 mutant neurons have increased dendrite complexity, dendrite length, total synapse number (1.5-2-fold), and spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) frequency (3-7.6-fold). Conclusions: ASD-associated heterozygous loss-of-function mutations in SHANK2 increase synaptic connectivity among human neurons by increasing synapse number and sEPSC frequency. This is partially supported by increased dendrite length and complexity, providing evidence that SHANK2 functions as a suppressor of dendrite branching during neurodevelopment.