Spirometra is a genus of zoonotic cestodes with an ambiguous species-level taxonomic history. Previously, Spirometra mansonoides was considered the only species present in North America. However, recent molecular data revealed the presence of at least three distinct species in the USA: Spirometra sp. 2 and 3, and Spirometra mansoni. This study aimed to elucidate the diversity and potential host associations of Spirometra species among companion animals in the USA. Samples (N = 302) were examined from at least 13 host species, including mammals, amphibians and reptiles. Sample types included eggs isolated from faeces (n = 222), adult specimens (n = 71) and plerocercoids (n = 9) from 18 different states and 2 territories across the USA. Extracted genomic DNA was subjected to PCR targeting a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene. Generated sequences (n = 136) were included in a phylogenetic analysis. Spirometra mansoni was detected in domestic cats (n = 76), dogs (n = 12), a White’s tree frog (n = 1), a Cuban knight anole (n = 1), a green iguana (n = 1) and a serval (n = 1) across 15 states and Puerto Rico. Spirometra sp. 2 was found only in dogs (n = 3) from Florida and Spirometra sp. 3 was found only in cats (n = 41) from 17 states. All plerocercoid samples were consistent with S. mansoni. The results confirm that at least three distinct Spirometra species are present and established in companion animals, such as dogs and cats, and likely are using various native and exotic species as paratenic hosts within the USA.

Objectives/Goals: To support the growing number of clinical research professionals (CRP) working in behavioral and social science contexts, relevant formative assessments of research skills are needed. This study examines the development of an objective formative assessment designed to assess skills relevant to conducting social and behavioral research. Methods/Study Population: A multidisciplinary group at the University of Michigan was convened to develop the assessment. Case studies depicting clinical and translational research conducted in behavioral and social science contexts were used to measure proficiency in seven of the eight ECRPTQ competencies: Scientific Concepts & Research Design, Ethical & Participant Safety Concerns, Clinical Trial Operations (Good Clinical Practice), Study & Site Management, Data Management & Informatics, Leadership & Professionalism, Communication, and Teamwork & Team Science. Three difficulty levels of questions were developed: basic, intermediate, and advanced. To reinforce knowledge and skill development, the assessment was designed to give respondents formative feedback after responding to each question. Results/Anticipated Results: A preliminary “pre-pilot” test was conducted with three postdoctoral scholars to ensure that the assessment items were understandable. The assessment was then pilot tested with a larger group of 40 clinical research professionals (CRP) to test for the clarity and difficulty level of the items. A smaller group of 20 of these CRPs agreed to participate in focus groups to obtain feedback on their user experience. Data regarding years of experience as a CRP, types of studies engaged with, and information regarding professional certification were collected and used in the analyses. Demographic data collected were not connected to user responses. Results of the pilot test and focus groups were used to revise the questions on the final version of the assessment. Discussion/Significance of Impact: To our knowledge, this is the first objective assessment of research skills for CRP working in behavioral and social science contexts. We will discuss how other institutions can use this instrument to evaluate the training needs of their social and behavioral research workforce.

The current study examines the application of the Pediatric-Buccal-Epigenetic (PedBE) clock, designed for buccal epithelial cells, to endothelia. We evaluate the association of PedBE epigenetic age and age acceleration estimated from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with length of gestation and birthweight in a racially and ethnically diverse sample (analytic sample n = 333). PedBE age was positively associated with gestational age at birth (r = 0.22, p < .001) and infant birth weight (r = 0.20, p < .001). Multivariate models revealed infants with higher birth weight (adjusted for gestational age) had greater PedBE epigenetic age acceleration (b = 0.0002, se = 0.0007, p = 0.002), though this effect was small; findings were unchanged excluding preterm infants born before 37 weeks’ gestation. In conclusion, the PedBE clock may have application to endothelial cells and provide utility as an anchoring sampling point at birth to examine epigenetic aging in infancy.

We present the first results from a new backend on the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, the Commensal Realtime ASKAP Fast Transient COherent (CRACO) upgrade. CRACO records millisecond time resolution visibility data, and searches for dispersed fast transient signals including fast radio bursts (FRB), pulsars, and ultra-long period objects (ULPO). With the visibility data, CRACO can localise the transient events to arcsecond-level precision after the detection. Here, we describe the CRACO system and report the result from a sky survey carried out by CRACO at 110-ms resolution during its commissioning phase. During the survey, CRACO detected two FRBs (including one discovered solely with CRACO, FRB 20231027A), reported more precise localisations for four pulsars, discovered two new RRATs, and detected one known ULPO, GPM J1839 $-$10, through its sub-pulse structure. We present a sensitivity calibration of CRACO, finding that it achieves the expected sensitivity of 11.6 Jy ms to bursts of 110 ms duration or less. CRACO is currently running at a 13.8 ms time resolution and aims at a 1.7 ms time resolution before the end of 2024. The planned CRACO has an expected sensitivity of 1.5 Jy ms to bursts of 1.7 ms duration or less and can detect $10\times$ more FRBs than the current CRAFT incoherent sum system (i.e. 0.5 $-$2 localised FRBs per day), enabling us to better constrain the models for FRBs and use them as cosmological probes.

Biodiversity is in rapid decline, but the extent of loss is not well resolved for poorly known groups. We estimate the number of extinctions for Australian non-marine invertebrates since the European colonisation of the continent. Our analyses use a range of approaches, incorporate stated uncertainties and recognise explicit caveats. We use plausible bounds for the number of species, two approaches for estimating extinction rate, and Monte Carlo simulations to select combinations of projected distributions from these variables. We conclude that 9,111 (plausible bounds of 1,465 to 56,828) Australian species have become extinct over this 236-year period. These estimates dwarf the number of formally recognised extinctions of Australian invertebrates (10 species) and of the single invertebrate species listed as extinct under Australian legislation. We predict that 39–148 species will become extinct in 2024. This is inconsistent with a recent pledge by the Australian government to prevent all extinctions. This high rate of loss is largely a consequence of pervasive taxonomic biases in community concern and conservation investment. Those characteristics also make it challenging to reduce that rate of loss, as there is uncertainty about which invertebrate species are at the most risk. We outline conservation responses to reduce the likelihood of further extinctions.

Prenatal glucocorticoid exposure has been negatively associated with infant neurocognitive outcomes. However, questions about developmental timing effects across gestation remain. Participants were 253 mother-child dyads who participated in a prospective cohort study recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy. Diurnal cortisol was measured in maternal saliva samples collected across a single day within each trimester of pregnancy. Children (49.8% female) completed the Bayley Mental Development Scales, Third Edition at 6, 12, and 24 months and completed three observational executive function tasks at 24 months. Structural equation models adjusting for sociodemographic covariates were used to test study hypotheses. There was significant evidence for timing sensitivity. First-trimester diurnal cortisol (area under the curve) was negatively associated with cognitive and language development at 12 months and poorer inhibition at 24 months. Second-trimester cortisol exposure was negatively associated with language scores at 24 months. Third-trimester cortisol positively predicted performance in shifting between task rules (set shifting) at 24 months. Associations were not reliably moderated by child sex. Findings suggest that neurocognitive development is sensitive to prenatal glucocorticoid exposure as early as the first trimester and underscore the importance of assessing developmental timing in research on prenatal exposures for child health outcomes.

Behavioural treatments are recommended first-line for insomnia, but long-term benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZRA) use remains common and engaging patients in a deprescribing consultation is challenging. Few deprescribing interventions directly target patients. Prescribers’ support of patient-targeted interventions may facilitate their uptake. Recently assessed in the Your Answers When Needing Sleep in New Brunswick (YAWNS NB) study, Sleepwell (mysleepwell.ca) was developed as a direct-to-patient behaviour change intervention promoting BZRA deprescribing and non-pharmacological insomnia management. BZRA prescribers of YAWNS NB participants were invited to complete an online survey assessing the acceptability of Sleepwell as a direct-to-patient intervention. The survey was developed using the seven construct components of the theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) framework. Respondents (40/250, 17.2%) indicated high acceptability, with positive responses per TFA construct averaging 32.3/40 (80.7%). Perceived as an ethical, credible, and useful tool, Sleepwell also promoted prescriber–patient BZRA deprescribing engagements (11/19, 58%). Prescribers were accepting of Sleepwell and supported its application as a direct-to-patient intervention.

We present an initial analysis of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) flagging statistics from archived Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) observations for the ‘Survey and Monitoring of ASKAP’s RFI environment and Trends’ (SMART) project. SMART is a two-part observatoryled project combining analysis of archived observations with a dedicated, comprehensive RFI survey. The survey component covers ASKAP’s full 700–1 800 MHz frequency range, including bands not typically used due to severe RFI. Observations are underway to capture a detailed snapshot of the ASKAP RFI environment over representative 24 h periods. In addition to this dedicated survey, we routinely archive and analyse flagging statistics for all scientific observations to monitor the observatory’s RFI environment in near real-time. We use the telescope itself as a very sensitive RFI monitor and directly assess the fraction of scientific observations impacted by RFI. To this end, flag tables are now automatically ingested and aggregated as part of routine ASKAP operations for all science observations, as a function of frequency and time. The data presented in this paper come from processing all archived data for several ASKAP Survey Science Projects (SSPs). We found that the average amount of flagging due to RFI across the routinely used ‘clean’ continuum science bands is 3%. The ‘clean’ mid band from 1 293 to 1 437 MHz (excluding the 144 MHz below 1293 MHz impacted by radionavigation-satellites which is discarded before processing) is the least affected by RFI, followed by the ‘clean’ low band from 742 to 1 085 MHz. ASKAP SSPs lose most of their data to the mobile service in the low band, aeronautical service in the mid band and satellite navigation service in the 1 510–1 797 MHz high band. We also show that for some of these services, the percentage of discarded data has been increasing year-on-year. SMART provides a unique opportunity to study ASKAP’s changing RFI environment, including understanding and updating the default flagging behaviour, inferring the suitability of and calibrating RFI monitoring equipment, monitoring spectrum management compliance in the Australian Radio Quiet Zone – Western Australia (ARQZWA), and informing the implementation of a suite of RFI mitigation techniques.

The public has expressed growing concern for the well-being of fishes, including popular pet species such as the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). In captivity, male Bettas behave aggressively, often causing injuries and death if housed together. As a result, they are typically isolated in small fishbowls, which has been widely criticised as cruel. To investigate the impact of keeping Bettas in these conditions, we recorded the behaviour of individual males in containers of different sizes that were either bare or enriched with gravel, large rocks, and live plants. When male Bettas were housed individually in small bowls (0.5 L) they spent less time swimming than they did when they were kept in larger aquaria (10, 38, and 208 L). Fish that were kept in enriched containers exhibited more instances of swimming. To determine if two male Bettas housed together might coexist peacefully if given enough space and cover from plants and large rocks, we quantified the behaviour of pairs of male Bettas in bare or enriched aquaria of different sizes (10, 38, 208, 378 L). Fish performed fewer approaches and aggressive displays, but not attacks, and more bouts of foraging, when in larger aquaria. This study shows that the small fishbowls typically used in pet stores suppress swimming behaviour in male Bettas and at least a 10-L aquarium is required to ensure full expression of swimming behaviour. Furthermore, even the use of very large aquaria cannot guarantee peaceful cohabitation between two males.

Rapid increase in the hectarage and agricultural systems that use cover cropping for soil conservation and improvement, soil moisture retention, and weed management has highlighted the need to develop formal breeding programs for cover crop species. Cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) is preferred by many growers due to high biomass production and weed-suppression potential, which is believed to be partially due to allelopathy. Rye germplasm exhibits large variability in allelopathic activity, which could be used to breed rye with enhanced weed suppression. Here, we provide an overview of rye history and breeding and describe a strategy to develop rye lines with increased allelopathic activity. The discussion focuses on ways to deal with important challenges to achieving this goal, including obligate cross-pollination and its consequent high segregation levels and the need to quantify allelopathic activity under field conditions. This review seeks to encourage weed scientists to collaborate with plant breeders and promote the development of cover crop cultivars better suited to reduce weed populations.

Delay discounting—the extent to which individuals show a preference for smaller immediate rewards over larger delayed rewards—has been proposed as a transdiagnostic neurocognitive process across mental health conditions, but its examination in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is comparatively recent. To assess the aggregated evidence for elevated delay discounting in relation to posttraumatic stress, we conducted a meta-analysis on existing empirical literature. Bibliographic searches identified 209 candidate articles, of which 13 articles with 14 independent effect sizes were eligible for meta-analysis, reflecting a combined sample size of N = 6897. Individual study designs included case-control (e.g. examination of differences in delay discounting between individuals with and without PTSD) and continuous association studies (e.g. relationship between posttraumatic stress symptom severity and delay discounting). In a combined analysis of all studies, the overall relationship was a small but statistically significant positive association between posttraumatic stress and delay discounting (r = .135, p < .0001). The same relationship was statistically significant for continuous association studies (r = .092, p = .027) and case-control designs (r = .179, p < .001). Evidence of publication bias was minimal. The included studies were limited in that many did not concurrently incorporate other psychiatric conditions in the analyses, leaving the specificity of the relationship to posttraumatic stress less clear. Nonetheless, these findings are broadly consistent with previous meta-analyses of delayed reward discounting in relation to other mental health conditions and provide further evidence for the transdiagnostic utility of this construct.

We present and evaluate the prospects for detecting coherent radio counterparts to gravitational wave (GW) events using Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) triggered observations. The MWA rapid-response system, combined with its buffering mode ($\sim$4 min negative latency), enables us to catch any radio signals produced from seconds prior to hours after a binary neutron star (BNS) merger. The large field of view of the MWA ($\sim$$1\,000\,\textrm{deg}^2$ at 120 MHz) and its location under the high sensitivity sky region of the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) detector network, forecast a high chance of being on-target for a GW event. We consider three observing configurations for the MWA to follow up GW BNS merger events, including a single dipole per tile, the full array, and four sub-arrays. We then perform a population synthesis of BNS systems to predict the radio detectable fraction of GW events using these configurations. We find that the configuration with four sub-arrays is the best compromise between sky coverage and sensitivity as it is capable of placing meaningful constraints on the radio emission from 12.6% of GW BNS detections. Based on the timescales of four BNS merger coherent radio emission models, we propose an observing strategy that involves triggering the buffering mode to target coherent signals emitted prior to, during or shortly following the merger, which is then followed by continued recording for up to three hours to target later time post-merger emission. We expect MWA to trigger on $\sim$$5-22$ BNS merger events during the LVK O4 observing run, which could potentially result in two detections of predicted coherent emission.

The Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) is being used to undertake a campaign to rapidly survey the sky in three frequency bands across its operational spectral range. The first pass of the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey (RACS) at 887.5 MHz in the low band has already been completed, with images, visibility datasets, and catalogues made available to the wider astronomical community through the CSIRO ASKAP Science Data Archive (CASDA). This work presents details of the second observing pass in the mid band at 1367.5 MHz, RACS-mid, and associated data release comprising images and visibility datasets covering the whole sky south of $\delta_{\text{J2000}}=+49^\circ$. This data release incorporates selective peeling to reduce artefacts around bright sources, as well as accurately modelled primary beam responses. The Stokes I images reach a median noise of 198 $\mu$Jy PSF$^{-1}$ with a declination-dependent angular resolution of 8.1–47.5 arcsec that fills a niche in the existing ecosystem of large-area astronomical surveys. We also supply Stokes V images after application of a widefield leakage correction, with a median noise of 165 $\mu$Jy PSF$^{-1}$. We find the residual leakage of Stokes I into V to be $\lesssim 0.9$–$2.4$% over the survey. This initial RACS-mid data release will be complemented by a future release comprising catalogues of the survey region. As with other RACS data releases, data products from this release will be made available through CASDA.

Human infection with antimicrobial-resistant Campylobacter species is an important public health concern due to the potentially increased severity of illness and risk of death. Our objective was to synthesise the knowledge of factors associated with human infections with antimicrobial-resistant strains of Campylobacter. This scoping review followed systematic methods, including a protocol developed a priori. Comprehensive literature searches were developed in consultation with a research librarian and performed in five primary and three grey literature databases. Criteria for inclusion were analytical and English-language publications investigating human infections with an antimicrobial-resistant (macrolides, tetracyclines, fluoroquinolones, and/or quinolones) Campylobacter that reported factors potentially linked with the infection. The primary and secondary screening were completed by two independent reviewers using Distiller SR®. The search identified 8,527 unique articles and included 27 articles in the review. Factors were broadly categorised into animal contact, prior antimicrobial use, participant characteristics, food consumption and handling, travel, underlying health conditions, and water consumption/exposure. Important factors linked to an increased risk of infection with a fluoroquinolone-resistant strain included foreign travel and prior antimicrobial use. Identifying consistent risk factors was challenging due to the heterogeneity of results, inconsistent analysis, and the lack of data in low- and middle-income countries, highlighting the need for future research.