Ocean radiocarbon (14C) is a proxy for air-sea exchange, vertical and horizontal mixing, and water mass identification. Here, we present five pre- to post-bomb coral Δ14C records from West Flower Garden Bank and Santiaguillo reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, Boca de Medio, and Isla Tortuga near the Cariaco Basin north of Venezuela. To assess basin-wide Δ14C variability, we compiled the Atlantic Ocean reef-building surface coral Δ14C records (24 corals and 28 data sets in total) with these new records. Cumulatively, the Δ14C records, on their independent age models, reveal the onset of post-bomb Δ14C trends in 1958 ±1 to 2 years. A general decrease in maximum Δ14C values occurs with decreasing latitude reflecting the balance between air-sea gas exchange and surface water residence time, vertical mixing, and horizontal advection. A slightly larger atmospheric imprint in the northern sites and relatively greater vertical mixing and/or advection of low-14C waters influence the southern Caribbean and eastern Atlantic sites. The eastern Atlantic sites, due to upwelling, have the lowest post-bomb Δ14C values. Equatorial currents from the eastern Atlantic transport low Δ14C water towards the western South Atlantic and southern Caribbean sites. Decadal Δ14C averages for the pre-bomb interval (1750–1949) for the low latitude western Atlantic are relatively constant within analytical (3–5‰) and chronological uncertainties (∼1–2 years) due to mixing and air-sea exchange. The compiled Δ14C records provide updated regional marine Δ14C values for marine reservoir corrections.

We synthesize sea-level science developments, priorities and practitioner needs at the end of the 10-year World Climate Research Program Grand Challenge ’Regional Sea-Level Change and Coastal Impacts’. Sea-level science and associated climate services have progressed but are unevenly distributed. There remains deep uncertainty concerning high-end and long-term sea-level projections due to indeterminate emissions, the ice sheet response and other climate tipping points. These are priorities for sea-level science. At the same time practitioners need climate services that provide localized information including median and curated high-end sea-level projections for long-term planning, together with information to address near-term pressures, including extreme sea level-related hazards and land subsidence, which can greatly exceed current rates of climate-induced sea-level rise in some populous coastal settlements. To maximise the impact of scientific knowledge, ongoing co-production between science and practitioner communities is essential. Here we report on recent progress and ways forward for the next decade.

Obesity can increase the risk of postoperative complications. Despite increased demand for patients living with obesity to lose weight prior to common surgical procedures, the impact of intentional weight loss on surgical outcomes is largely unknown. We aimed to conduct a pilot study to assess the feasibility of a full-scale randomised controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effect of preoperative dietitian-led Very Low Calorie Diet (VLCD) Clinic on surgical outcomes in gynaecology and general surgeries. Between August 2021 and January 2023, a convenience sample of adults living with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) awaiting gynaecology, laparoscopic cholecystectomy and ventral hernia repair procedures were randomised to dietitian-led VLCD (800–1000 kcal using meal replacements and allowed foods), or control (no dietary intervention), 2–12 weeks preoperatively. Primary outcome was feasibility (recruitment, adherence, safety, attendance, acceptability and quality of life (QoL)). Secondary outcomes were anthropometry and 30-d postoperative outcomes. Outcomes were analysed as intention-to-treat. Fifty-one participants were recruited (n 23 VLCD, n 28 control), mean 48 (sd 13) years, 86 % female, and mean BMI 35·8 (sd 4·6) kg/m2. Recruitment was disrupted by COVID-19, but other thresholds for feasibility were met for VLCD group: high adherence without unfavourable body composition change, high acceptability, improved pre/post QoL (22·1 ± 15 points, < 0·001), with greater reductions in weight (–5·5 kg VLCD v. −0·9 kg control, P < 0·05) waist circumference (–6·6 cm VLCD v. +0·6 control, P < 0·05) and fewer 30-d complications (n 4/21) than controls (n 8/22) (P > 0·05). The RCT study design was deemed feasible in a public hospital setting. The dietitian-led VLCD resulted in significant weight loss and waist circumference reduction compared with a control group, without unfavourable body composition change and improved QoL.

Although offspring of women exposed to childhood trauma exhibit elevated rates of psychopathology, many children demonstrate resilience to these intergenerational impacts. Among the variety of factors that likely contribute to resilience, epigenetic processes have been suggested to play an important role. The current study used a prospective design to test the novel hypothesis that offspring epigenetic aging – a measure of methylation differences that are associated with infant health outcomes – moderates the relationship between maternal exposure to childhood adversity and offspring symptomatology. Maternal childhood adversity was self-reported during pregnancy via the ACEs survey and the CTQ, which assessed total childhood trauma as well as maltreatment subtypes (i.e., emotional, physical, and sexual abuse). Offspring blood samples were collected at or shortly after birth and assayed on a DNA methylation microarray, and offspring symptomatology was assessed with the CBCL/1.5–5 when offspring were 2–4 years old. Results indicated that maternal childhood trauma, particularly sexual abuse, was predictive of offspring symptoms (ps = 0.003–0.03). However, the associations between maternal sexual abuse and offspring symptomatology were significantly attenuated in offspring with accelerated epigenetic aging. These findings further our understanding of how epigenetic processes may contribute to and attenuate the intergenerational link between stress and psychopathology.

The interaction of relativistically intense lasers with opaque targets represents a highly non-linear, multi-dimensional parameter space. This limits the utility of sequential 1D scanning of experimental parameters for the optimization of secondary radiation, although to-date this has been the accepted methodology due to low data acquisition rates. High repetition-rate (HRR) lasers augmented by machine learning present a valuable opportunity for efficient source optimization. Here, an automated, HRR-compatible system produced high-fidelity parameter scans, revealing the influence of laser intensity on target pre-heating and proton generation. A closed-loop Bayesian optimization of maximum proton energy, through control of the laser wavefront and target position, produced proton beams with equivalent maximum energy to manually optimized laser pulses but using only 60% of the laser energy. This demonstration of automated optimization of laser-driven proton beams is a crucial step towards deeper physical insight and the construction of future radiation sources.

We present the development and characterization of a high-stability, multi-material, multi-thickness tape-drive target for laser-driven acceleration at repetition rates of up to 100 Hz. The tape surface position was measured to be stable on the sub-micrometre scale, compatible with the high-numerical aperture focusing geometries required to achieve relativistic intensity interactions with the pulse energy available in current multi-Hz and near-future higher repetition-rate lasers ($>$kHz). Long-term drift was characterized at 100 Hz demonstrating suitability for operation over extended periods. The target was continuously operated at up to 5 Hz in a recent experiment for 70,000 shots without intervention by the experimental team, with the exception of tape replacement, producing the largest data-set of relativistically intense laser–solid foil measurements to date. This tape drive provides robust targetry for the generation and study of high-repetition-rate ion beams using next-generation high-power laser systems, also enabling wider applications of laser-driven proton sources.

Localized contamination from research-related activities and its effects on macrofauna communities in the marine environment were investigated at Palmer Station, a medium-sized Antarctic research station. Relatively low concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs; 32–302 ng g-1) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs; 0.9–8.9 μg g-1) were detected in sediments adjacent to the sewage outfall and pier, where most human activities were expected to have occurred, and at even lower concentrations at two seemingly reference areas (PAHs 6–30 ng g-1, TPHs 0.03–5.1 μg g-1). Elevated concentrations of PAHs in one sample taken in one reference area (816 ng g-1) and polychlorinated biphenyls (353 ng g-1) and dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (3.2 and 25.3 ng g-1) in two samples taken adjacent to the sewage outfall indicate spatial heterogeneity of localized sediment contamination. Limpet (Nacella concinna) tissues collected adjacent to Palmer Station had high concentrations of PAHs, copper, lead, zinc and several other metals relative to outlying islands. Sediment and limpet tissue contaminant concentrations have decreased since the early 1990s following the Bahía Paraíso spill. Natural sediment characteristics affected macrofaunal community composition more than contamination adjacent to Palmer Station, presumably because of the low overall contamination levels.

Despite aspirations to be a world-class national curriculum, the Australian Curriculum (AC) has been criticised as ‘manifestly deficient’ (Australian Government Department of Education and Training, 2014 p. 5) as an inclusive curriculum, failing to meet the needs of all students with disabilities (SWD) and their teachers. There is a need for research into the daily attempts of educators to navigate the tension between a ‘top-down’ system-wide curriculum and a ‘bottom-up’ regard for individual student needs, with a view to informing both policy and practice. This article is the first of two research papers in which we report the findings from a national online Research in Special Education (RISE) Australian Curriculum Survey of special educators in special schools, classes, and units regarding their experience using the AC to plan for and teach SWD. Survey results indicated (a) inconsistent use of the AC as the primary basis for developing learning objectives and designing learning experiences, (b) infrequent use of the achievement standards to support assessment and reporting, and (c) considerable supplementation of the AC from other resources when educating SWD. Overall, participants expressed a lack of confidence in translating the AC framework into a meaningful curriculum for SWD. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

In September 2015, an outbreak of Escherichia coli Phage Type 32 with an indistinguishable multi locus variable number tandem repeat analysis profile was identified in Scotland. Twelve cases were identified; nine primary cases, two secondary and one asymptomatic case. Extensive food history investigations identified venison products containing wild venison produced by a single food business operator as the most likely source of the outbreak. Of the nine primary cases, eight had consumed venison products, and one case had not eaten venison themselves but had handled and cooked raw venison in the household. This was the first reported outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) linked to venison products in the UK, and was also notable due to the implicated products being commercially produced and widely distributed. In contrast, previous venison outbreaks reported from other countries have tended to be smaller and related to individually prepared carcases. The outbreak has highlighted some important knowledge gaps in relation to STEC in venison that are currently been investigated via a number of research studies.

Here gelatin biotemplated platinum aerogels were prepared from gelatin hydrogels equilibrated in K2PtCl4 solutions ranging from 1-250 mM and reduced with sodium borohydride before supercritical drying in liquid CO2. Scanning electron microscopy revealed an average ligament diameter of 40.6 ± 9.7 nm and a pore size range of ∼10 – 200 nm. Thermogravimetric analysis correlated the ratio of metal content to biotemplate mass as a function of equilibrated platinum ion solution, and X-ray diffractometry indicated platinum metal with no detectable oxide phases. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicated a specific capacitance of 1.92 F/g, with a corresponding specific electrochemical accessible surface area of 6.39 m2/g. Cyclic voltammetry performed in H2SO4 demonstrated biotemplated platinum aerogel potential for catalytic and energy storage applications.

Alterations in reinforcement-based decision making may be associated with increased psychiatric vulnerability in children who have experienced maltreatment. A probabilistic passive avoidance task and a model-based functional magnetic resonance imaging analytic approach were implemented to assess the neurocomputational components underlying decision making: (a) reinforcement expectancies (the representation of the outcomes associated with a stimulus) and (b) prediction error signaling (the ability to detect the differences between expected and actual outcomes). There were three main findings. First, the maltreated group (n = 18; mean age = 13), relative to nonmaltreated peers (n = 19; mean age = 13), showed decreased activity during expected value processing in a widespread network commonly associated with reinforcement expectancies representation, including the striatum (especially the caudate), the orbitofrontal cortex, and medial temporal structures including the hippocampus and insula. Second, consistent with previously reported hyperresponsiveness to negative cues in the context of childhood abuse, the maltreated group showed increased prediction error signaling in the middle cingulate gyrus, somatosensory cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and thalamus. Third, the maltreated group showed increased activity in frontodorsal regions and in the putamen during expected value representation. These findings suggest that early adverse environments disrupt the development of decision-making processes, which in turn may compromise psychosocial functioning in ways that increase latent vulnerability to psychiatric disorder.

Gold, palladium, and platinum aerogels were prepared by a rapid, direct solution-based reduction synthesis with densities of 0.54, 0.065, and 0.055 g/cm3, respectively. Salt solutions were reduced at 1:1 (v/v) with dimethylamine borane and sodium borohydride to rapidly form gels within seconds to minutes above a threshold salt concentration and were then rinsed and freeze dried. Au, Pd, and Pt aerogels had no presence of oxide phases confirmed by X-ray diffractometry. Specific surface areas determined with gas physisorption were 3.06, 15.43, and 20.56 m2/g for Au, Pd, and Pt. Electrochemically determined specific capacitances using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were 2.18, 4.13, and 4.20 F/g, and 2.67, 7.99, and 5.12 F/g for Au, Pd, and Pt, respectively. The rapid synthesis, high solvent accessible specific surface area, conductivity, and capacitance make these noble metal aerogels candidates for many of catalytic, energy, and sensor applications.