Globally, a third of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) are produced by the food system(1). Estimating the carbon footprint of current diets is therefore important to consumers, businesses, and policymakers. With most home-consumed food in the United Kingdom (UK) purchased from supermarkets(2), supermarket purchasing records represent a novel data source that can provide insights into dietary patterns(3). These data are particularly useful in an environmental sustainability context as they provide information on the amounts of foods and beverages purchased, not just the amounts consumed (as in traditional dietary assessments). We estimated GHGE of foods and beverages purchased in Yorkshire and the Humber region of the UK using supermarket transaction data from primary-shopper loyalty cards over 12 months in 2022.

We mapped a UK retailer’s food and beverage products to GHGE (kg CO2-eq/kg) using data on the environmental footprint of food commodities(4), and grouped the products according to the Living Costs and Food Survey (LCFS) categories. The sustainability mapping process was guided by product sales (i.e., prioritising the most sold products and categories) and involved three stages utilising mapping approaches with different complexity, resulting in 98.6% of >28,000 store products being mapped. We estimated total GHGE of each product by multiplying the final mapped GHGE by the product weight (as sold). We then used these product-level GHGE estimations (kg CO2-eq/item) in conjunction with the sales data (number of items sold) to estimate the contribution of each product, and subsequently each LCFS category, to total GHGE from all purchases.

When incorporating sales, the LCFS categories with the highest contributions to total GHGE included ‘beef’ (19.6%), ‘milk’ (9.8%), ‘cheese and curd’ (8.6%), ‘ready meals’ (6.9%), and ‘poultry’ (5.5%). The LCFS categories among the lowest contributors to total GHGE included ‘confectionery products’ (0.2%), ‘pasta products’ (0.4%) and ‘soft drinks’ (0.5%). Although some LCFS categories had higher GHGE per kg for their products, they were sold in smaller quantities, and therefore, their contributions to total GHGE were lower in total. For example, ‘lamb’ was in the top five LCFS categories with the highest GHGE per kg (39.7 kg CO2-eq/kg) but contributed to 1.4.% of total estimated GHGE when incorporating sales information, which was less than ‘bread’ (2.2%) and ‘yoghurt’ (1.7%).

Our results highlight that although some foods might be very GHGE-intensive on a per weight basis, they have a lower overall GHGE impact if they are not frequently purchased in the population. These supermarket sales data are an important resource to understanding and subsequently tackling the environmental impact of the food system. Further research, including other environmental sustainability metrics (e.g., water and land use), is needed to provide a more comprehensive picture of the environmental footprint of foods and beverages purchased by UK consumers.

Current dietary patterns are suboptimal for both human and planetary health(1,2). With growing consumer and business concerns around food sustainability, estimating the environmental footprint of foods and diets is pertinent. In many countries, supermarkets are the primary provider of foods and beverages; therefore, supermarket purchasing records represent a novel source of population dietary data that offers advantages over traditional methods(3). We developed a method for mapping greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) to food and beverage products from a high-street retailer’s portfolio, to enable the estimation of the environmental footprint of population diets when linked with sales information.

We used data from the food and beverage portfolio of a high-street retailer in the United Kingdom (UK), including product name/description, categorisation, ingredients, and weight. We mapped these products to GHGE (kg CO2-eq/kg) using a global database on the average environmental footprint of food commodities(4). This mapping process involved three stages utilising different mapping approaches, guided by product sales data, which we extracted from the retailer’s loyaltycard transactions for Yorkshire and the Humber (UK) region during 2022. Stage 1 involved categorising the products into Living Costs and Food Survey food categories and mapping each category to GHGE, where possible (food-category approach). Stage 2 involved splitting selected food categories (based on complexity, necessity of a better mapping, and sales) and creating a sub-category-specific mapping based on an indicator product, which was selected as most popular using sales data (food-sub-category approach). The indicator-product mapping represented a weighted average GHGE value calculated using information on product ingredients and their estimated proportions (ingredient approach). Stage 3 utilised word-searches in product descriptions to distinguish further between product types within selected prioritised subcategories. We used the estimated product-level GHGE (mapped GHGE × product weight) and sales data to estimate food-category contributions to total GHGE and assess how these estimations change by mapping stage.

Of >28,000 products, 77.7%, 98.0% and 98.6% were mapped to GHGE at the end of stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Of the final product mappings, 40% were at a food-category level and 60% at least at a sub-category level. We calculated 153 product-specific GHGE using ingredients information for prioritised indicator products. When using mappings from stage 3 vs 1, the contributions of ‘savoury snacks’ and ‘chocolate’ to total GHGE were approximately four and two times higher respectively, due largely to improved mapping that accounted for product sub-category and ingredients.

Mapping environmental sustainability metrics to a retail product dataset is feasible when using a staged approach, guided and prioritised by sales data. However, mapping approach and the estimations’ variability should be considered. This method could be used for estimating the environmental footprint from food purchasing data, helping to inform responses towards promoting healthier and more sustainable diets.

As the federal government continues to expand upon and improve its data sharing policies over the past 20 years, complex challenges remain. Our interviews with U.S. academic genetic researchers (n=23) found that the burden, translation, industry limitations, and consent structure of data sharing remain major governance challenges.

The contemporary relevance of Adam Smith is evidenced by continued reference to his name. Computational analysis identifies over 700 mentions of Smith and his two famous works—The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations—in post-World War 1 House of Commons debates. We find some parliamentarians appreciate Smith’s complex ideas, but most references are ‘ornamental’. Charting Smith’s use over the decades, this paper builds on Kirk Willis’ idea that studying parliamentary debates are an ideal way to understand how, at best, policy ideas, germinate and disseminate over time, or, at worst, how ‘complex ideas became slogans’.

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.

Introduction: Our emergency department (ED) sees a low volume of high acuity pediatric cases. A needs assessment revealed that 68% of our Emergency Physicians (EP) manage pediatric patients in less than 25% of their shifts. The same percentage of EPs as well as ED nurses indicated they were uncomfortable managing a critically unwell neonate. Thus, an interprofessional curriculum focused on pediatric emergencies for ED staff was developed. In-situ simulation education was chosen as the most appropriate method to consolidate each didactic block of curriculum, and uncover important system gaps. Methods: Needs assessment conducted, and emerging themes informed IPE curriculum objectives. A committee of experts in simulation, pediatric emergencies and nursing education designed a full-day, RCPSC accredited, interprofessional in-situ simulation program. Results: Progressive segmental strategy maximized learning outcomes. The initial phase (2 hrs) comprised an” early recognition of sepsis” seminar and 4 rotating skills stations (equipment familiarity, sedating the child, IV starts, and mixing IV medication). This deliberate, adaptive, customized practice was enhanced by expert facilitation at each station, directly engaging participants and providing real-time feedback. The second phase allowed interprofessional teams of MDs, RNs and Physician Assistants to apply knowledge gained from the didactic and skills stations to in-situ simulated emergencies. Each group participated in two pediatric emergency scenarios. Scenarios ran 20 minutes, followed by a 40 minute debrief. Each scenario had a trained debriefer and content expert. The day concluded with a final debrief, attended by all participants. Formalized checklists assessed participants knowledge translation during simulation exercises. Participants assessed facilitators and evaluated the simulation day and curriculum via anonymous feedback forms. Debriefing sessions were scribed and knowledge gaps and system errors were recorded. Results were distributed to ED leaders and responsibilities assigned to key stakeholders to ensure accountability and improvement in system errors. Results All participants reported the experience to be relevant and helpful in their learning. All participants requested more frequent simulation days. System gaps identified included: use of metric vs imperial measurements, non-compatible laryngoscope equipment, inadequate identification of team personnel. As a result, the above-mentioned equipment has been replaced, and we are developing resuscitation room ID stickers for all team roles. Conclusion: Simulation as a culmination to a didactic curriculum provides a safe environment to translate acquired knowledge, increasing ED staff comfort and familiarity with rare pediatric cases. Additionally, is an excellent tool to reveal system gaps and allow us to fill these gaps to improve departmental functioning and safety.

This study aimed to determine prevalence of Ralstonia spp. in cystic fibrosis patients, look for any evidence of cross infection and to describe clinical outcomes for patients infected by Ralstonia spp. Prevalence of Ralstonia spp. was calculated annually from 2008 to 2016. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was performed on ⩾1 sample from patients with an isolation of Ralstonia spp. between 2008 and 2016. A prospective, longitudinal observational study of adult patients was performed with 12 months follow-up from recruitment. Prevalence of Ralstonia spp. rose from 0·6% in 2008 to 2·4% in 2016. In total 12 out of 14 (86%) patients with ⩾1 isolation of Ralstonia spp. developed chronic infection. A pair and a group of three unrelated patients with epidemiological connections shared strains of Ralstonia mannitolilytica. Lung function of Ralstonia spp. infected patients was moderately to severely impaired. Prevalence of Ralstonia spp. is low but increasing. The risk of a patient developing chronic Ralstonia spp. infection following first acquisition is high and cross-infection may be possible. Whether Ralstonia spp. infection causes increased pulmonary exacerbation frequency and lung function decline needs to be evaluated in larger prospective studies.

General Practitioner consultation rates for influenza-like illness (ILI) are monitored through several geographically distinct schemes in the UK, providing early warning to government and health services of community circulation and intensity of activity each winter. Following on from the 2009 pandemic, there has been a harmonization initiative to allow comparison across the distinct existing surveillance schemes each season. The moving epidemic method (MEM), proposed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for standardizing reporting of ILI rates, was piloted in 2011/12 and 2012/13 along with the previously proposed UK method of empirical percentiles. The MEM resulted in thresholds that were lower than traditional thresholds but more appropriate as indicators of the start of influenza virus circulation. The intensity of the influenza season assessed with the MEM was similar to that reported through the percentile approach. The MEM pre-epidemic threshold has now been adopted for reporting by each country of the UK. Further work will continue to assess intensity of activity and apply standardized methods to other influenza-related data sources.

The purpose of this study was to determine if different language measures resulted in the same classifications of language dominance and proficiency for a group of bilingual pre-kindergarteners and kindergarteners. Data were analyzed for 1029 Spanish–English bilingual pre-kindergarteners who spanned the full range of bilingual language proficiency. Parent questionnaires were used to quantify age of first exposure and current language use. Scores from a short test of semantic and morphosyntactic development in Spanish and English were used to quantify children's performance. Some children who were in the functionally monolingual range based on interview data demonstrated minimal knowledge of their other languages when tested. Current use accounted for more of the variance in language dominance than did age of first exposure. Results indicate that at different levels of language exposure children differed in their performance on semantic and morphosyntax tasks. These patterns suggest that it may be difficult to compare the results of studies that employ different measures of language dominance and proficiency. Current use is likely to be a useful metric of bilingual development that can be used to build a comprehensive picture of child bilingualism.

Party activists have played a leading role in “conflict extension”—the polarization of the parties along multiple issue dimensions—in contemporary American politics. We argue that open nomination systems and the ambitious politicians competing within those systems encourage activists with extreme views on a variety of issue dimensions to become involved in party politics, thus motivating candidates to take noncentrist positions on a range of issues. Once that happens, continuing activists with strong partisan commitments bring their views into line with the new candidate agendas, thus extending the domain of interparty conflict. Using cross-sectional and panel surveys of national convention delegates, we find clear evidence for conflict extension among party activists, evidence tentatively suggesting a leading role for activists in partisan conflict extension more generally, and strong support for our argument about change among continuing activists. Issue conversion among activists has contributed substantially to conflict extension and party commitment has played a key role in motivating that conversion.