Advancements in VLBI instrumentation, driven by the geodetic community’s goal of achieving positioning accuracy of 1 mm and stability of 0.1 mm/y, have led to the development of new broadband systems. Here, we assess the potential of these new capabilities for space weather monitoring. These enhanced VLBI capabilities were used to investigate interplanetary scintillation (IPS), a phenomenon caused by the scattering of radio waves due to density irregularities in the solar wind. Compact radio sources near the Sun were observed using the AuScope VLBI array in Australia, which consists of 12-meter telescopes at Hobart, Katherine, and Yarragadee. The baseline lengths between these telescopes are approximately 3400 km (Hobart–Katherine), 3200 km (Hobart–Yarragadee), and 2400 km (Katherine–Yarragadee). The observations covered solar elongations from 6.5° to 11.3° and frequencies between 3 and 13 GHz. The study focused on phase scintillation as an indicator of turbulence in the solar wind. As the solar elongation decreased, we observed an increase in the phase scintillation index, consistent with theoretical models. Importantly, the broadband system also detected IPS using relatively weak radio sources. Additionally, the phase scintillation increased with baseline length, in agreement with Kolmogorov turbulence with an index of 11/3. These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of geodetic broadband VLBI in capturing detailed features of the solar wind. This capability enables continuous space weather monitoring and advances our understanding of solar and interplanetary dynamics.

Objectives/Goals: Mayo Clinic Florida’s Clinical Research Units develop over 200 clinical studies on average annually. Almost 30% of these projects are developed and then are unable to activate due to a variety of operational factors. To increase the success rate, a scoring tool was created to assess the risk associated with the development of these research projects. Methods/Study Population: A project team comprised of members of research administration and physician leadership developed a rapid project management (RPM) scoring tool to assess operational risk factors. The scoring algorithm was embedded into an existing REDCap database, using a combination of identified variables and calculated fields. All noncancer industry sponsor-initiated clinical studies were scored at intake. According to the following categories: enrollment timelines, study team capacity, and previous experience with the Sponsor. Studies with a score greater than the established threshold were referred to physician leadership for transparent discussions with the principal investigator regarding the identified study development-related risks. Results/Anticipated Results: The RPM tool has assessed close to 200 projects since implementation in June 2022. An interim analysis is being conducted of all projects assessed by the RPM tool dating from implementation to May 2024 to compare the outcomes of these studies with the given RPM score. We anticipate based on anecdotal evidence gathered during the course of this pilot project that the RPM tool will show a correlation between risks identified and study outcomes as defined as successful activation of trials, or rationale of project development failures. We anticipate a reduction in the amount of time elapsed and effort expended developing projects with scores reflecting identified project development-related risk factors. Discussion/Significance of Impact: The RPM tool provides an opportunity to allocate resources to studies with the greatest potential for successful activation. In the future, the RPM tool may be used to identify risk factors associated with enrollment and accrual of participants.

Pigmentation and colouration are important to animal fitness. Colourations convey important information and impact predation risk, thermoregulation and mate selection. There are many cases of hypopigmentation across the animal kingdom, and leucism is a common form. We observed a Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) pup with cream-coloured fur, light skin and white nails multiple times in 2022 in Erebus Bay, Antarctica. The pup was observed 1 year later as a generally healthy yearling. This is the first documentation of a leucistic seal within this well-studied population and the second documentation of such colouration in this species. This seal offers a potential opportunity to observe the effects of hypopigmentation in Antarctic true seals.

Lewy body dementias (LBD) are the second most common dementia. Several genes have been associated with LBD, but little is known about their contributions to LBD pathophysiology. Each gene may transcribe multiple RNA, and LBD brains have extensive RNA splicing dysregulation. Hence, we completed the first transcriptome-wide transcript-level differential expression analysis of post-mortem LBD brains for gaining more insights into LBD molecular pathology that are essential for facilitating discovery of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for LBD. We completed transcript-level quantification of next-generation RNA-sequencing data from post-mortem anterior cingulate (ACC) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices (DLPFC) of people with pathology-verified LBD (LBD = 14; Controls = 7) using Salmon. We identified differentially expressed transcripts (DET) using edgeR and investigated their functional implications using DAVID. We performed transcriptome-wide alternative splicing analysis using DRIMseq. We identified 74 DET in ACC and 96 DET in DLPFC after Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) correction (5%). There were 135 and 98 FDR-corrected alternatively spliced genes in ACC and DLPFC of LBD brains, respectively. Identified DET may contribute to LBD pathology by altering DNA repair, apoptosis, neuroplasticity, protein phosphorylation, and regulation of RNA transcription. We confirm widespread alternative splicing and absence of chronic neuroinflammation in LBD brains. Transcript-level differential expression analysis can reveal specific DET that cannot be detected by gene-level expression analyses. Therapeutic and diagnostic biomarker potential of identified DET, especially those from TMEM18, MICB, MPO, and GABRB3, warrant further investigation. Future LBD blood-based biomarker studies should prioritise measuring the identified DET in small extracellular vesicles.

Entrenched ethnoracial hierarchies that persist alongside formal democratic rules threaten commitments to democracy. Previous research has shown how marginalization and oppression harm minoritized group members, but has rarely considered the potential harm entrenched group-based hierarchies pose for democratic society overall. This paper offers two innovations. First, we argue that ethnoracial hierarchies have society-wide implications. Entrenched systems of ethnoracial marginalization undermine support for democracy and respect for democratic rights, even among members of privileged groups. Second, group consciousness conditions the effects of ethnoracial hierarchy among minoritized group members. Specifically, when minoritized individuals hold a structural dimension of group consciousness, they tend to sustain commitments to democracy. Insights from interviews with Indigenous and Afrodescendant activists and policy makers conducted during field research in Peru facilitate development of these theoretical expectations. Subsequent analysis of survey data cross-nationally throughout Latin America and over time in Bolivia demonstrates that ethnoracial hierarchies are associated with weaker democratic commitments across society, while reducing these hierarchies strengthens support for democracy. Among minoritized group members, however, structural group consciousness helps to mitigate these negative effects. This paper contributes a theoretical framework and empirical evidence concerning the challenges ethnoracial hierarchies pose for democratic commitments not only among those who belong to minoritized groups, but for people across society.

Hypertensive heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy both lead to left ventricular hypertrophy despite differing in aetiology. Elucidating the correct aetiology of the presenting hypertrophy can be a challenge for clinicians, especially in patients with overlapping risk factors. Furthermore, drugs typically used to combat hypertensive heart disease may be contraindicated for the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, making the correct diagnosis imperative. In this review, we discuss characteristics of both hypertensive heart disease and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy that may enable clinicians to discriminate the two as causes of left ventricular hypertrophy. We summarise the current literature, which is primarily focused on adult populations, containing discriminative techniques available via diagnostic modalities such as electrocardiography, echocardiography, and cardiac MRI, noting strategies yet to be applied in paediatric populations. Finally, we review pharmacotherapy strategies for each disease with regard to pathophysiology.

We present the case of 53-year-old woman with a late diagnosis of an right pulmonary artery-left atrium fistula who underwent transcatheter device closure using multi-modality imaging for pre-procedural planning and procedural guidance.

The maintenance of cross-cultural variation and arbitrary traditions in human populations is a key question in cultural evolution. Conformist transmission, the tendency to follow the majority, was previously considered central to this phenomenon. However, recent theory indicates that cognitive biases can greatly reduce its ability to maintain traditions. Therefore, we expanded prior models to investigate two other ways that cultural variation can be sustained: payoff-biased transmission and norm reinforcement. Our findings predict that both payoff-biased transmission and reinforcement can enhance conformist transmission's ability to maintain traditions. However, payoff-biased transmission can only sustain cultural variation if it is functionally related to environmental factors. In contrast, norm reinforcement readily generates and maintains arbitrary cultural variation. Furthermore, reinforcement results in path-dependent cultural dynamics, meaning that historical traditions influence current practices, even though group behaviours have changed. We conclude that environmental variation probably plays a role in functional cultural traditions, but arbitrary cultural variation is more plausibly due to the reinforcement of norm compliance.

We evaluated one of the first secure large language models approved for protected health information, for identifying central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) using real clinical notes. Despite no pretraining, the model demonstrated rapid assessment and high sensitivity for CLABSI identification. Performance would improve with access to more patient data.

The circadian timing system regulates many aspects of metabolic physiology, including the postprandial response to meals(1). Experimental inversion of circadian and behavioural rhythms by 12 hours adversely effects markers of metabolic health(2). We investigated effects of a more modest 5hour delay in behavioural cycles.

Fourteen participants completed an 8-day in-patient laboratory protocol, with controlled sleepwake opportunities, light-dark cycles, and diet. The 5-hour delay in behavioural cycles was induced by delaying sleep opportunity. We measured: melatonin to confirm central circadian phase; fasting markers and postprandial metabolism; energy expenditure; subjective sleepiness; and appetite, throughout the waking period.

After the phase delay, there was slower gastric emptying at breakfast, lower fasting plasma glucose, higher postprandial plasma glucose and triglycerides, and lower thermic effect of feeding. Any changes were abolished or attenuated within 48-72 hours. Further, we show no difference in 16 h waking energy expenditure.

These data extend our previous findings, which showed no time-of-day effect on energy expenditure in healthy adults.