Storm Daniel struck northeastern Libya on September 10, 2023, causing severe infrastructure damage and significant human loss. Derna was the most affected city, with the University of Derna suffering extensive damage and the tragic loss of 37 medical students. Medical students face unique psychological and academic stressors, and tend to have higher rates of psychiatric disorders compared to their peers of the same age. This is the first study to investigate the storm’s psychological impact on medical students at the University of Derna. The study has a cross-sectional design and lasted from February 1 to March 1, 2024. We used the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) to assess anxiety and the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to assess depression, along with sociodemographic questions in our questionnaire. We included only active students enrolled in the 7-year undergraduate program at the University of Derna. Statistical tests such as the chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used in the analysis. About 225 students completed the survey. The means and standard deviations for GAD-7 and PHQ-9 scores were 9.2 (3.9) and 10.8 (5.0), respectively. The prevalence of anxiety was 42.2% for cases classified as moderate and severe (cut-off ≥10). Depression had a prevalence of 51.1% for cases classified as moderate, moderately severe and severe (cut-off ≥ 10). Suicidal ideation was reported at a rate of 48.9% for “several days” or more and at 16.5% for “more than half of the days” and “nearly every day.” Internal displacement following the storm was significantly associated with both anxiety (p = 0.033) and depression (p = 0.003). However, age, gender, year of study, monthly allowance and residence status (living with family or alone) did not show a statistically significant association with either anxiety or depression (p > 0.05 for all variables). Logistic regression analysis identified gender as the only significant predictor of anxiety (p = 0.041) and internal displacement as the sole significant predictor of depression (p = 0.023). Medical students at the University of Derna reported high rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation following Storm Daniel. Internal displacement was significantly associated with both anxiety and depression. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions to address medical students’ mental health challenges and improve their overall well-being.

We present a novel scheme for rapid quantitative analysis of debris generated during experiments with solid targets following relativistic laser–plasma interaction at high-power laser facilities. Results are supported by standard analysis techniques. Experimental data indicate that predictions by available modelling for non-mass-limited targets are reasonable, with debris of the order of hundreds of μg per shot. We detect for the first time two clearly distinct types of debris emitted from the same interaction. A fraction of the debris is ejected directionally, following the target normal (rear and interaction side). The directional debris ejection towards the interaction side is larger than on the side of the target rear. The second type of debris is characterized by a more spherically uniform ejection, albeit with a small asymmetry that favours ejection towards the target rear side.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major cause of acute jaundice in South Asia. Gaps in our understanding of transmission are driven by non-specific symptoms and scarcity of diagnostics, impeding rational control strategies. In this context, serological data can provide important proxy measures of infection. We enrolled a population-representative serological cohort of 2,337 individuals in Sitakunda, Bangladesh. We estimated the annual risks of HEV infection and seroreversion both using serostatus changes between paired serum samples collected 9 months apart, and by fitting catalytic models to the age-stratified cross-sectional seroprevalence. At baseline, 15% (95 CI: 14–17%) of people were seropositive, with seroprevalence highest in the relatively urban south. During the study, 27 individuals seroreverted (annual seroreversion risk: 15%, 95 CI: 10–21%), and 38 seroconverted (annual infection risk: 3%, 95CI: 2–5%). Relying on cross-sectional seroprevalence data alone, and ignoring seroreversion, underestimated the annual infection risk five-fold (0.6%, 95 CrI: 0.5–0.6%). When we accounted for the observed seroreversion in a reversible catalytic model, infection risk was more consistent with measured seroincidence. Our results quantify HEV infection risk in Sitakunda and highlight the importance of accounting for seroreversion when estimating infection incidence from cross-sectional seroprevalence data.

We propose a new method for identifying active galactic nuclei (AGN) in low mass ($\mathrm{M}_*\leq10^{10}\mathrm{M}_\odot$) galaxies. This method relies on spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting to identify galaxies whose radio flux density has an excess over that expected from star formation alone. Combining data in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) G23 region from GAMA, Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) early science observations, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), we compare this technique with a selection of different AGN diagnostics to explore the similarities and differences in AGN classification. We find that diagnostics based on optical and near-infrared criteria (the standard BPT diagram, the WISE colour criterion, and the mass-excitation, or MEx diagram) tend to favour detection of AGN in high mass, high luminosity systems, while the “ProSpect” SED fitting tool can identify AGN efficiently in low mass systems. We investigate an explanation for this result in the context of proportionally lower mass black holes in lower mass galaxies compared to higher mass galaxies and differing proportions of emission from AGN and star formation dominating the light at optical and infrared wavelengths as a function of galaxy stellar mass. We conclude that SED-derived AGN classification is an efficient approach to identify low mass hosts with low radio luminosity AGN.

The Jurassic trigoniid bivalves of Gebel Maghara, northern Sinai, Egypt are described and figured. They belong to 14 species, nine genera, and two families. The identified taxa occur in rocks ranging in age from the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic) to the lower Kimmeridgian (Upper Jurassic). Five genera and one species are new: Magharitrigonia asymmetrica new genus new species; Cotswoldella aff. C. hemisphaerica (Lycett, 1853); Cornbrashella pullus (J. de C. Sowerby, 1826); Parorthotrigonia lepidomorpha (Abdallah and Fahmy, 1969); and Retetrigonia imbricata (J. de C. Sowerby, 1826). Five species, Trigonia reticulata Agassiz, 1840, T. cf. T. castor d'Orbigny, 1849, Promyophorella tuberculata (Agassiz, 1840), Orthotrigonia exortiva (Kitchin, 1903), and O. gracilis (Kitchin, 1903) are recorded from the Jurassic rocks of Gebel Maghara for the first time.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/4dc3cc67-6bc3-406f-a022-6a05ed97efc6

We demonstrate the importance of radio selection in probing heavily obscured galaxy populations. We combine Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) Early Science data in the Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) G23 field with the GAMA data, providing optical photometry and spectral line measurements, together with Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) infrared (IR) photometry, providing IR luminosities and colours. We investigate the degree of obscuration in star-forming galaxies, based on the Balmer decrement (BD), and explore how this trend varies, over a redshift range of $0<z<0.345$. We demonstrate that the radio-detected population has on average higher levels of obscuration than the parent optical sample, arising through missing the lowest BD and lowest mass galaxies, which are also the lower star formation rate (SFR) and metallicity systems. We discuss possible explanations for this result, including speculation around whether it might arise from steeper stellar initial mass functions in low mass, low SFR galaxies.

The Jurassic rocks of Gebel Maghara, northern Sinai, Egypt, contain a well-preserved and highly diverse macrobenthic fauna, dominated by bivalves. This fauna, particularly bivalves and gastropods, have received little attention in the last 100 years. In an attempt to provide a sound database on the marine bivalve diversity of Egypt during the Jurassic period, a first faunal group, the protobranch bivalves, is reviewed in detail. Sixteen taxa (three of them new), belonging to two orders, five families, and nine genera are systematically described and compared to closely related Jurassic taxa from various locations, particularly in Europe and India. New species are Nuculoma douvillei n. sp., N. sinaiensis n. sp., and Palaeoneilo aegyptiaca n. sp. In addition, Palaeonucula cuneiformis (J. de C. Sowerby), P. muensteri (Goldfuss), Dacryomya diana (d'Orbigny), D. lacryma (J. de. C. Sowerby), and Praesaccella juriana Cox are identified from Jurassic strata of Egypt for the first time. The younger records of the genus Palaeoneilo have not been accepted by some researchers, since almost all exhibit only limited features. The genus occurs with certainty in the Middle Jurassic (Bajocian‒Bathonian) rocks of Egypt, based on well-preserved external and internal characters. Similarly, Dacryomya and Ryderia from Bathonian‒Kimmeridgian rocks of Egypt are younger than previously recorded from other parts of the world. The identified genera have wide geographic ranges and have been reported from different faunal provinces, which suggests that latitudinal climate differences did not influence their distribution pattern to a great extent.

UUID: https://zoobank.org/7f3a9185-d690-4563-bdc0-df1c8d42ec0d

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.

Background: Despite a higher prevalence of traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) amongst Canadian Indigenous peoples, there is a paucity of studies focused on Indigenous TSCI. We present the first Canada-wide study comparing TSCI amongst Canadian Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Methods: This study is a retrospective analysis of prospectively-collected TSCI data from the Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry (RHSCIR) from 2004-2019. We divided participants into Indigenous and non-Indigenous cohorts and compared them with respect to demographics, injury mechanism, level, severity, and outcomes. Results: Compared with non-Indigenous patients, Indigenous patients were younger, more female, less likely to have higher education, and less likely to be employed. The mechanism of injury was more likely due to assault or transportation-related trauma in the Indigenous group. The length of stay for Indigenous patients was longer. Indigenous patients were more likely to be discharged to a rural setting, less likely to be discharged home, and more likely to be unemployed following injury. Conclusions: Our results suggest that more resources need to be dedicated for transitioning Indigenous patients sustaining a TSCI to community living and for supporting these patients in their home communities. A focus on resources and infrastructure for Indigenous patients by engagement with Indigenous communities is needed.

We performed an epidemiological investigation and genome sequencing of severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to define the source and scope of an outbreak in a cluster of hospitalized patients. Lack of appropriate respiratory hygiene led to SARS-CoV-2 transmission to patients and healthcare workers during a single hemodialysis session, highlighting the importance of infection prevention precautions.

Introduction: eCTAS is a real time electronic triage decision-support tool designed to improve patient safety and quality of care by standardizing the application of the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS). The tool dynamically calculates a recommended CTAS score based on the presenting complaint, vital signs and selected clinical modifiers. The primary objective was to assess consistency of CTAS score distributions across 35 emergency departments (EDs) by 16 presenting complaints pre and post eCTAS implementation. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used population-based administrative data from January 2016 to December 2018 from all hospital EDs in Ontario that had implemented eCTAS with at least 9 months of data. Following a 3-month stabilization period, we compared data for 6 months post-eCTAS implementation to the same 6-month period the previous year (pre-implementation) to account for potential seasonal variation, patient volume and case-mix. We included triage encounters of adult (≥18 years) patients if they had one of 16 pre-specified high-volume, presenting complaints. A paired-samples t-test was used to determine consistency by estimating the absolute difference in CTAS distribution for each presenting complaint, by each hospital, pre and post eCTAS implementation, compared to the overall average of the 35 EDs. Results: There were 183,231 triage encounters in the pre-eCTAS cohort and 179,983 in the post-eCTAS cohort from 35 EDs across the province. Triage scores were more consistent with the overall average after eCTAS implementation in 6 (37.5%) presenting complaints: chest pain (cardiac features) (p < 0.001), extremity weakness/symptoms of cerebrovascular accident (p < 0.001), fever (p < 0.001), shortness of breath (p < 0.001), syncope (p = 0.02), and hyperglycemia (p = 0.03). Triage consistency was similar pre and post eCTAS implementation for the presenting complaints of altered level of consciousness, anxiety/situational crisis, confusion, depression/suicidal/deliberate self-harm, general weakness, head injury, palpitations, seizure, substance misuse/intoxication or vertigo. Conclusion: A standardized, electronic approach to performing triage assessments increased consistency in CTAS scores across many, but not all, high-volume CEDIS complaints. This does not reflect triage accuracy, as there are no known benchmarks for triage accuracy. Improvements in consistency were greatest for sentinel presenting complaints with a minimum allowable CTAS score.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a re-emerging pathogen of global importance. We attempted to gain an insight into the organisation, distribution and mutational load of the virus strains reported from different parts of the world. We describe transmission dynamics and genetic characterisation of CHIKV across the globe during the last 65 years from 1952 to 2017. The evolutionary pattern of CHIKV was analysed using the E1 protein gene through phylogenetic, Bayesian and Network methods with a dataset of 265 sequences from various countries. The time to most recent common ancestor of the virus was estimated to be 491 years ago with an evolutionary rate of 2.78 × 10−4 substitutions/site/year. Genetic characterisation of CHIKV strains was carried out in terms of variable sites, selection pressure and epitope mapping. The neutral selection pressure on the E1 gene of the virus suggested a stochastic process of evolution. We identified six potential epitope peptides in the E1 protein showing substantial interaction with human MHC-I and MHC-II alleles. The present study augments global epidemiological and population dynamics of CHIKV warranting undertaking of appropriate control measures. The identification of epitopic peptides can be useful in the development of epitope-based vaccine strategies against this re-emerging viral pathogen.

Background: Cerebellar atrophy is characterized by loss of cerebellar tissue, with evidence on brain imaging of enlarged interfolial spaces compared to the foliae. Genetic ataxias associated with cerebellar atrophy are a heterogeneous group of disorders. We investigated the prevalence in Canada and the diagnostic yield of whole exome sequencing (WES) for this group of conditions. Methods: Between 2011 and 2017, WES was performed in 91 participants with cerebellar atrophy as part of one of two national research programs, Finding of Rare Genetic Disease Genes (FORGE) or Enhanced Care for Rare Genetic Diseases in Canada (Care4Rare). Results: A genetic diagnosis was established in 58% of cases (53/91). Pathogenic variants were found in 24 known genes, providing a diagnosis for 46/53 participants (87%), and in four novel genes, accounting for 7/53 cases (13%). 38/91 cases (42%) remained unsolved. The most common diagnoses were channelopathies in 12/53 patients (23%) and mitochondrial disorders in 9/53 (17%). Inheritance was autosomal recessive in the majority of cases. Additional clinical findings provided useful clues to some of the diagnoses. Conclusions: This is the first report on the prevalence of genetic ataxias associated with cerebellar atrophy in Canada, and the utility of WES for this group of conditions.