Narrowleaf goldenrod [Euthamia graminifolia (L.) Nutt.] is the most common goldenrod species in lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) fields in Nova Scotia, Canada. Knowledge of ramet emergence and phenological development of this weed is limited, and it is unknown if seedling emergence contributes to the maintenance of established populations. The objectives of this research were to 1) develop predictive growing degree day (GDD) models for E. graminifolia ramet emergence and phenological development, 2) determine if E. graminifolia forms seed banks in lowbush blueberry fields, and 3) determine if E. graminifolia seedlings emerge in lowbush blueberry fields. Cumulative E. graminifolia ramet emergence was explained as a function of GDD using a 4-parameter Weibull equation that predicted emergence to begin at 72 GDD and 90% emergence to occur at 458 GDD. Cumulative ramets at the flower bud and flowering stages was explained as a function of GDD using a 3-parameter Gompertz equation that predicted initiation of the flower bud and flowering stages at 644 and 1369 GDD, respectively, and 90% of ramets at the flower bud and flowering stages at 1522 and 2113 GDD, respectively. Cumulative E. graminifolia seedling emergence ranged from 2.4 ± 0.8 to 4 ± 1 seedlings m-2, suggesting limited seedling emergence in lowbush blueberry fields. Seedling density from soil core samples, however, ranged from 38 ± 25 to 10,940 ± 1,456 seedlings m-2. These results suggest that E. graminifolia forms seed banks in lowbush blueberry fields, despite the low levels of seedling emergence observed. Euthamia graminifolia seedling management should therefore be considered in current weed control programs and growers can use the developed GDD models to aid the management of established plants.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor symptoms, such as tremor, slowness (bradykinesia) and postural instability. Global prevalence has doubled in the past 25 years, with 8.5 million people affected worldwide in 2019(1). PD is also associated with other 'non motor’ symptoms, including constipation and orthostatic hypotension early in the disease(2). Overt dysphagia is common later in the disease, and associated with reduced fluid intake of approximately 300 mLs per day(3). This study investigates whether fluid intake is also reduced in individuals newly diagnosed with PD.

Participants with newly diagnosed PD (within six months of diagnosis or longer if untreated) were recruited alongside household controls. Assessments included a 24-hour dietary recall, a video-recorded swallowing evaluation, and stool consistency grading using the Bristol Stool Chart.

The study enrolled 30 participants: 19 with newly diagnosed PD and 11 household controls. Fluid intake from beverages was significantly lower in the PD group compared to controls (median intake: 1124 mL vs. 1799 mL, p=0.005). Dietary fluid sources did not offset this reduction. While the PD group exhibited slightly slower drinking speeds (6.0 mL/second vs. 7.5 mL/second for controls), this difference was not statistically significant. Participants with PD also had significantly harder stools, with a mean Bristol Stool Chart score of 3.2 compared to 4.6 in controls (p=0.01).

Newly diagnosed PD is associated with reduced fluid intake from beverages, which may exacerbate constipation and orthostatic hypotension.

Bars are ubiquitous morphological features in the observed distribution of galaxies. There are similarly many methods for classifying these features and, without a strict theoretical definition or common standard practice, this is often left to circumstance. So, we were concerned whether astronomers even agree on the bar which they perceive in a given galaxy and whether this could impact perceived scientific results. As an elementary test, we twenty-one astronomers with varied experience in studying resolved galaxies and circumstances, have each assessed 200 galaxy images, spanning the early phase of bar evolution in two different barred galaxy simulations. We find variations exist within the classification of all the standard bar parameters assessed: bar length, axis-ratio, pitch-angle and even whether a bar is present at all. If this is indicative of the wider community, it has implications for interpreting morphological trends, such as bar-end effects. Furthermore, we find that it is surprisingly not expertise but gender, followed by career stage, which gives rise to the largest discrepancies in the reported bar parameters. Currently, automation does not seem to be a viable solution, with bar classifications from two automated bar-finding algorithms tested and failing to find bars in snapshots where most astronomers agree a bar must exist. Increasing dependence on machine learning or crowdsourcing with a training dataset can only serve to obfuscate any existing biases if these originate from the specific astronomer producing the training material. On the strength of this small sample, we encourage an interim best practice to reduce the impact of any possible classification bias and set goals for the community to resolve the issue in the future.

Antarctic ice-free coastal environments, like the Vestfold Hills (East Antarctica), are shaped by a complex interplay of physical processes. This study synthesizes new data and existing research from the Vestfold Hills across marine, terrestrial and cryosphere science, meteorology, geomorphology, coastal oceanography and hydrology to explore interconnected processes ranging from icescape morphology and sediment transport to ocean-floor scouring and ocean-atmosphere interactions. Coastal landforms and habitats result from the interaction of marine dynamics with the aeolian and fluvial transport of glacially derived sediments and geomorphic features. Rocky shorelines dominate the region, and extensive fjords are prominent coastal features, whereas intertidal sediments and beaches are scarce. The marine environment is characterized by slow currents, low-energy waves, annually variable land-fast ice, irregular sedimentation rates and a geomorphologically complex shoreline. Aeolian and fluvial sediment deposition into coastal waters and onto sea ice can significantly impact local ecological and physical processes. Human activity further modifies these dynamics. Ice-free coastal areas such as the Vestfold Hills are predicted to experience substantial environmental shifts due to climate change. Wind speeds, temperature and precipitation are increasing in the Vestfold Hills. Retreating grounded ice sheets are likely to expand this coastal area and increase meltwater and sediment inputs into nearshore marine systems. Concurrently, changes in sea-ice extent, thickness and/or duration may profoundly alter the structure and function of this coastal environment.

Maritime security is one of the most vulnerable domains to climate change. The Quad comprising India, Japan, Australia, and the U.S., shares concerns of impending climate change-induced maritime security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region. Climate change can catalyse intensified competition for resources and control over sea lanes leading to increased maritime violence. Thus, climate change can derail the collective goals for which the Quad was established – a free, open, prosperous, and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. It is therefore critical for the Quad to understand this emergent threat and how it is altering the geopolitical system in order to secure its strategic and economic interests.

This paper addresses three major issues. First, it provides an empirical understanding of the threats to maritime security in the Indo-Pacific that emerge from climate change. It shows how these challenges potentially impede the Quad’s goals of securing a free and open Indo- Pacific and a rules-based order. Secondly, the paper analyses the collective efforts the group has undertaken over the years to address climate change and maritime security in the region through its Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP) and beyond. Thirdly, the study focuses on prospects for cooperation among the Quad countries, taking into consideration the recent change in administration in the US. We ask what collaborative maritime security mechanisms can the parties devise to strengthen the proposals in the Quad Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Package (Q-CHAMP)? We argue that cooperation on climate change will not only augment climate preparedness in the Indo-Pacific region but also enhance the Quad’s legitimacy and durability as a minilateral grouping.

Let ABC be a triangle with incentre I, circumcentre O, orthocentre H, centroid G and symmedian point K. In standard notation, the triangle ABC has sides a, b, c, semiperimeter s, circumradius R and inradius r. Euler’s well-known result that the incentre I is always within the orthocentroidal disc DGH, the disc with diameter GH, is probably the first result about the location of the incentre in some disc formed by triangle centres. Investigating the location of the incentre I in other discs, in [1] we proved that the incentre is interior to the Brocard disc DOK, that is, the disc with diameter OK. The disc is named after the French military meteorologist and geometer Henri Brocard (1845-1922), known in triangle geometry for the Brocard points and the Brocard angle (see [2]).

Vitamin C is important for several biological processes that are relevant to skeletal muscle. It is involved in the synthesis of collagen and carnitine, acts as an antioxidant (1), and recent animal studies have shown that deficiency can lead to muscle atrophy and loss of strength and physical function (2,3). Maintaining an adequate vitamin C status may be important for maintaining muscle mass, muscle strength and physical function during ageing and for preventing sarcopenia. Prior epidemiological research investigating vitamin C and muscle strength or physical function in humans has mainly focused on dietary vitamin C. In this study, we investigate associations between both plasma and dietary intakes of vitamin C and measures of muscle strength and physical function in adult men and women.

Cross-sectional data from the third health check of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Norfolk cohort were provided. Over 5,000 participants (age 48 to 92 years) had full datasets for analysis. Plasma vitamin C was measured from non-fasting blood samples by fluorometric assay and organised into categories for analysis (low <25mmol/L, suboptimal 25 to <50mmol/L, optimal ≥50mmol/L). Dietary vitamin C intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and categorised into quintiles for analysis. Hand grip strength was measured using a hand-held dynamometer and normalised by dividing by height2 (HGSht). Physical function was assessed using 4m gait speed (GS) and time to complete 5 chair stands (CS). Multiple linear regression, including relevant lifestyle, medical, biological, and dietary covariates (percent energy intake (EI) from protein, and ratio of EI to estimated energy requirement), was used to investigate associations between dietary and plasma vitamin C and HGSht, GS, and CS. Least square means were calculated via linear regression analysis.

Women with low versus optimal plasma vitamin C had 0.54 kg/m2 lower HGSht (p = 0.009), 0.11m/s slower GS (p < 0.001), and an increased CS time of 1.03s (p = 0.028). In men, no association was found between plasma vitamin C and grip strength. Men with low versus optimal plasma vitamin C had 0.05 m/s slower GS (p= 0.01) and an increased CS time of 0.71s (p = 0.026). No associations were found between dietary vitamin C and grip strength in men or women, or with GS and CS in men. Compared with Q1, women in Q2 and Q5 of dietary vitamin C intake had 0.04 m/s faster GS (p < 0.01 for both), and women in Q4 and Q5 had 0.67s (p = 0.002) and 0.57s (p = 0.013) faster CS times respectively.

These results suggest that maintaining optimal vitamin C status may be important for maintaining physical function in both men and women. These associations should be investigated prospectively to confirm our findings.

The Hector Galaxy Survey is a new optical integral field spectroscopy (IFS) survey currently using the Anglo-Australian Telescope to observe up to 15 000 galaxies at low redshift ($z \lt 0.1$). The Hector instrument employs 21 optical fibre bundles feeding into two double-beam spectrographs, AAOmega and the new Spector spectrograph, to enable wide-field multi-object IFS observations of galaxies. To efficiently process the survey data, we adopt the data reduction pipeline developed for the SAMI Galaxy Survey, with significant updates to accommodate Hector’s dual-spectrograph system. These enhancements address key differences in spectral resolution and other instrumental characteristics relative to SAMI and are specifically optimised for Hector’s unique configuration. We introduce a two-dimensional arc fitting approach that reduces the root-mean-square (RMS) velocity scatter by a factor of 1.2–3.4 compared to fitting arc lines independently for each fibre. The pipeline also incorporates detailed modelling of chromatic optical distortion in the wide-field corrector, to account for wavelength-dependent spatial shifts across the focal plane. We assess data quality through a series of validation tests, including wavelength solution accuracy (1.2–2.7 km s$^{-1}$ RMS), spectral resolution (FWHM of 1.2–1.4 Å for Spector), throughput characterisation, astrometric precision ($\lesssim$ 0.03 arcsec median offset), sky subtraction residuals (1–1.6% median continuum residual), and flux calibration stability (4% systematic offset when compared to Legacy Survey fluxes). We demonstrate that Hector delivers high-fidelity, science-ready datasets, supporting robust measurements of galaxy kinematics, stellar populations, and emission-line properties and provide examples. Additionally, we address systematic uncertainties identified during the data processing and propose future improvements to enhance the precision and reliability of upcoming data releases. This work establishes a robust data reduction framework for Hector, delivering high-quality data products that support a broad range of extragalactic studies.

Water resources from the Indus Basin sustain over 270 million people. However, water security in this region is threatened by climate change. This is especially the case for the upper Indus Basin, where most frozen water reserves are expected to decrease significantly by the end of the century, leaving rainfall as the main driver of river flow. However, future precipitation estimates from global climate models differ greatly for this region. To address this uncertainty, this paper explores the feasibility of using probabilistic machine learning to map large-scale circulation fields, better represented by global climate models, to local precipitation over the upper Indus Basin. More specifically, Gaussian processes are trained to predict monthly ERA5 precipitation data over a 15-year horizon. This paper also explores different Gaussian process model designs, including a non-stationary covariance function to learn complex spatial relationships in the data. Going forward, this approach could be used to make more accurate predictions from global climate model outputs and better assess the probability of future precipitation extremes.

We conducted an interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in antibiotic sales in 37 countries that implemented National Action Plans (NAPs) between 2013 and 2018. Overall, NAP implementation was not associated with changes in antibiotic sales two years later, with country-specific effects ranging from a 38.3% decrease to 65.3% increase.

The study of the shape of droplets on surfaces is an important problem in the physics of fluids and has applications in multiple industries, from agrichemical spraying to microfluidic devices. Motivated by these real-world applications, computational predictions for droplet shapes on complex substrates – rough and chemically heterogeneous surfaces – are desired. Grid-based discretisations in axisymmetric coordinates form the basis of well-established numerical solution methods in this area, but when the problem is not axisymmetric, the shape of the contact line and the distribution of the contact angle around it are unknown. Recently, particle methods, such as pairwise-force smoothed particle hydrodynamics (PF-SPH), have been used to conveniently forego explicit enforcement of the contact angle. The pairwise-force model, however, is far from mature, and there is no consensus in the literature on the choice of pairwise-force profile. We propose a new pair of polynomial force profiles with a simple motivation and validate the PF-SPH model in both static and dynamic tests. We demonstrate its capabilities by computing droplet shapes on a physically structured surface, a surface with a hydrophilic stripe and a virtual wheat leaf with both micro-scale roughness and variable wettability. We anticipate that this model can be extended to dynamic scenarios, such as droplet spreading or impaction, in the future.

We assessed implementation of a local intravenous-to-enteral antimicrobial transition protocol for pediatric hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant patients with bacterial or candidal bloodstream infection and central line removal. Among 76 cases, 57 met protocol criteria. Enteral antimicrobials were used in 29 (50.8%) cases meeting eligibility criteria for conversion.