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.

Bioreactor scaffolds must be designed to facilitate adequate nutrient delivery to the growing tissue they support. For perfusion bioreactors, the dominant transport process is determined by the scale of fluid velocity relative to diffusion and the geometry of the scaffold. In this paper, models of nutrient transport in a fibrous bioreactor scaffold are developed using homogenisation via multiscale asymptotics. The scaffold is modelled as an ensemble of aligned strings surrounded by viscous, slowly flowing fluid. Multiple scales analysis is carried out for various parameter regimes which give rise to macroscale transport models that incorporate the effects of advection, reaction and diffusion. Multiple scales in both space and time are employed when macroscale advection balances macroscale diffusion. The microscale model is solved to obtain the effective diffusion coefficient and simple solutions to the macroscale problem are presented for each regime.

The optimal management of bacteriuria/pyuria of clinically undetermined significance (BPCUS) is unknown. Among 220 emergency department patients prescribed antibiotics for BPCUS, we found frequent readmissions, which were mitigated by outpatient follow-up visits. Observation and follow-up for an unknown diagnosis should be emphasized over antibiotics due to high likelihood of readmissions.

Eclogite-facies mineral assemblages are commonly preserved in mafic protoliths within continental terranes. It is widely accepted that the entirety of these continental terrains must also have been subducted to eclogite-facies conditions. However, evidence that the felsic material transformed at eclogite-facies conditions is lacking. Low-strain metagranites of the ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic Tso Morari Complex in Ladakh, Himalaya, are host to eclogite-facies mafic sills and preserve evidence of subduction to eclogite-facies conditions. Following the eclogite-facies metamorphism, the granites and their gneissic equivalents were overprinted by amphibolite-facies Barrovian metamorphism, obscuring their earlier metamorphic history. We present evidence that the Tso Morari metagranites preserve a complex magmatic, hydrothermal and polymetamorphic history that involved four stages. Stage 1 was magmatic crystallisation, a record of which is preserved in the primary igneous mineralogy and relict igneous microstructures. Monazite grains record a U–Pb age of 474.0 ± 11.6 Ma, concurrent with a published zircon crystallisation age. Stage 2 represents pervasive late-magmatic hydrothermal alteration of the granite during emplacement and is evident in the mineral composition, particularly in the white micas preserved in the igneous domains. Stage 3 involved the (ultra)high-pressure metamorphism of these granite bodies during the Himalayan subduction of continental material. The high-pressure stage of the metamorphic history (>25 kbar at 550–650°C) is preserved as thin coronas of garnet and phengite around igneous biotite, garnet with kyanite inclusions in pseudomorphs after cordierite, and rare palisade quartz textures after coesite. Stage 4 was a result of Barrovian metamorphism of the Tso Morari Complex and is evident in the replacement of garnet by biotite. Many of these features are preserved in localised textural domains in the rock, where local equilibrium was important and the anhydrous conditions limited reaction progress, though aided preservation potential. Collectively, these four stages record a 480 Myr history of metamorphism and reworking of the northernmost Indian plate.

The COVID-19 pandemic presents challenges to the provision of community programs and access to mental health services for young people. We examined the feasibility, reach, and acceptability of multi-technology delivery of an integrated system that assesses and provides feedback on youth mental health and wellbeing and connects them to care within the context of a youth sports development program. The system was delivered via computer, telephone, and teleconference with 66 adolescent boys participating in a rugby league development program in three communities in Australia. Young people completed online wellbeing and mental health measures (Assess step), parents were provided with telephone feedback on results, support, and referral options (Reflect step), and youth received teleconferenced workshops and online resources (Connect step). The multi-technology delivery was feasible to implement, and reach was high, with barriers experienced at the Assess step but minimally experienced at the Reflect and Connect steps. Delivering the system via multiple forms of technology was rated as highly beneficial and enjoyable by young people. Players improved in self-reported prosocial behaviour, gratitude, and anxiety symptoms from pre- to post-program. Strong collaboration between researchers, organisational personnel, and community members is important for achieving these outcomes.

Background: MOG-IgG is associated with non-MS demyelinating disease of the optic nerves, spinal cord and brain. Specificity has been issue so we validated the live and fixed MOG-IgG CBAs against the Oxford Autoimmune Neurology Diagnostic Laboratory (OANG) live CBA as a comparator with high specificity. Methods: At BC Neuroimmunology lab (BCNI), 54 MOG-IgG serum samples previously positive by live-CBA at OANG and BCNI were blindly tested by commercial fixed CBA. All 54 MOG IgG positives came from MOG-IgG positive patients. In addition, 256 samples from healthy people and other neurolgic disease were tested. Results: The live MOG-IgG CBA performed at BCNI was 100% concordant (54/54) with OANG live CBA. In contrast, only 49/54 samples were found seropositive by the commercial fixed CBA. The BCNI live-CBA identified 3/256 control samples as positive while 6/256 controls were positive on the fixed commercial CBA. On this cohort the live CBA is 100% sensitive, 98.8% specific and has PPV of 95%. The commercial fixed MOG test is 91% sensitive, 97.6% specific and has PPV of 87.5%. Conclusions: BCNI live MOG-IgG CBAs are in 100% agreement with MOG-IgG. Three positive results in non-MOGAD associated clinical phenotype require further investigation. These data confirm the superiority of the live MOG CBA.

Fluting is a technological and morphological hallmark of some of the most iconic North American Paleoindian stone points. Through decades of detailed artifact analyses and replication experiments, archaeologists have spent considerable effort reconstructing how flute removals were achieved, and they have explored possible explanations of why fluting was such an important aspect of early point technologies. However, the end of fluting has been less thoroughly researched. In southern North America, fluting is recognized as a diagnostic characteristic of Clovis points dating to approximately 13,000 cal yr BP, the earliest widespread use of fluting. One thousand years later, fluting occurs more variably in Dalton and is no longer useful as a diagnostic indicator. How did fluting change, and why did point makers eventually abandon fluting? In this article, we use traditional 2D measurements, geometric morphometric (GM) analysis of 3D models, and 2D GM of flute cross sections to compare Clovis and Dalton point flute and basal morphologies. The significant differences observed show that fluting in Clovis was highly standardized, suggesting that fluting may have functioned to improve projectile durability. Because Dalton points were used increasingly as knives and other types of tools, maximizing projectile functionality became less important. We propose that fluting in Dalton is a vestigial technological trait retained beyond its original functional usefulness.

Anguillicoloides crassus is an invasive nematode parasite of the critically endangered European eel, Anguilla anguilla, and possibly one of the primary drivers of eel population collapse, impacting many features of eel physiology and life history. Early detection of the parasite is vital to limit the spread of A. crassus, to assess its potential impact on spawning biomass. However accurate diagnosis of infection could only be achieved via necropsy. To support eel fisheries management we developed a rapid, non-lethal, minimally invasive and in situ DNA-based method to infer the presence of the parasite in the swim bladder. Screening of 131 wild eels was undertaken between 2017 and 2019 in Ireland and UK to validate the procedure. DNA extractions and PCR were conducted using both a Qiagen Stool kit and in situ using Whatman qualitative filter paper No1 and a miniPCR DNA Discovery-System™. Primers were specifically designed to target the cytochrome oxidase mtDNA gene region and in situ extraction and amplification takes approximately 3 h for up to 16 individuals. Our in-situ diagnostic procedure demonstrated positive predictive values at 96% and negative predictive values at 87% by comparison to necropsy data. Our method could be a valuable tool in the hands of fisheries managers to enable infection control and help protect this iconic but critically endangered species.

Bacillus pumilus SAFR-032, an endospore-forming bacterial strain, was investigated to determine its methylation pattern (methylome) change, compared to ground control, after direct exposure to space conditions onboard the International Space Station (ISS) for 1.5 years. The resulting ISS-flown and non-flown strains were sequenced using the Nanopore MinION and an in-house method and pipeline to identify methylated positions in the genome. Our analysis indicated genomic variants and m6A methylation increased in the ISS-flown SAFR-032. To complement the broader omics investigation and explore phenotypic changes, ISS-flown and non-flown strains were compared in a series of laboratory-based chamber experiments using an X-ray irradiation source (doses applied at 250, 500, 750, 1000 and 1250 Gy); results show a potentially higher survival fraction of ISS-flown DS2 at the two highest exposures. Taken together, results from this study document lasting changes to the genome by methylation, potentially triggered by conditions in spaceflight, with functional consequences for the resistance of bacteria to stressors expected on long-duration missions beyond low Earth orbit.

Carbon-rich dust is known to form in the atmosphere of the semiregular variable star R Sculptoris. Such stardust, as well as the molecules and gas produced during the lifetime of the star, will be spread into the Galaxy via the mass-loss process. Probing this process is crucial to understand the chemical enrichment of the Galaxy. R Scl was observed using the ESO/VLTI MATISSE instrument in December 2018. Here we show the first images of the star between 3 and 10 R*. Using the complementary MIRA 3D image reconstruction and the RHAPSODY 1D intensity profile reconstruction code, we reveal the location of molecules and dust in the close environment of the star. Indeed, the C2H2 and HCN molecules are spatially located between 1 and 3.4 R* which is much closer to the star than the location of the dust. The R Scl spectrum is fitted by molecules and a dust mixture of 90% of amorphous carbon and 10% of silicone carbide. The inner boundary of the dust envelope is estimated by DUSTY at about 4.6 R*. We derive a mass-loss rate of 1.2 ± 0.4 × 10−6M⊙ yr−1however no clear SiC forming region has been detected in the MATISSE data.

Ureteroscopy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure for the removal of kidney stones. A ureteroscope, containing a hollow, cylindrical working channel, is inserted into the patient's kidney. The renal space proximal to the scope tip is irrigated, to clear stone particles and debris, with a saline solution that flows in through the working channel. We consider the fluid dynamics of irrigation fluid within the renal pelvis, resulting from the emerging jet through the working channel and return flow through an access sheath. Representing the renal pelvis as a two-dimensional rectangular cavity, we investigate the effects of flow rate and cavity size on flow structure and subsequent clearance time of debris. Fluid flow is modelled with the steady incompressible Navier–Stokes equations, with an imposed Poiseuille profile at the inlet boundary to model the jet of saline, and zero-stress conditions on the outlets. The resulting flow patterns in the cavity contain multiple vortical structures. We demonstrate the existence of multiple solutions dependent on the Reynolds number of the flow and the aspect ratio of the cavity using complementary numerical simulations and particle image velocimetry experiments. The clearance of an initial debris cloud is simulated via solutions to an advection–diffusion equation and we characterise the effects of the initial position of the debris cloud within the vortical flow and the Péclet number on clearance time. With only weak diffusion, debris that initiates within closed streamlines can become trapped. We discuss a flow manipulation strategy to extract debris from vortices and decrease washout time.

Adolescent dieting and disordered eating (DE) are risks for clinical eating disorders. In this five-wave longitudinal study, we tested gender-specific models linking early risk factors to temporal patterns of DE, considering appearance anxiety as a mediator. Participants were 384 Australian students (age 10 to 13; 45% boys) who reported their purging and skipping meals, experience with appearance-related teasing, media pressure, and appearance anxiety. Parents reported pubertal maturation and height/weight was measured. Gender differences in temporal patterns of DE were found and predictive models were tested using latent-variable growth curve and path models. Boys’ DE was generally stable over time; girls showed stability in purging but an average increase in skipping meals. Peer teasing, media pressure, and pubertal maturation were associated with more elevated initial DE in girls, and pubertal maturation was associated with a steeper increase in DE. For boys, body mass index had a direct positive association with DE. Appearance anxiety was associated with more DE, but there was only one significant indirect effect via anxiety, which was for boys’ pubertal maturation. Findings support the dominant role of social interactions and messages, as well as pubertal maturation, for girls’ DE and the prominence of physical risk factors for explaining boys’ DE.