Recognising the role of environmental histories and cultural heritage in nature restoration: biocultural diversity in the Gàidhealtachd using native oysters Ostrea edulis as a case study

Similar to many other shellfish populations that occur in coastal waters across the globe, flat oyster Ostrea edulis populations are at extremely low levels across Europe despite once being extremely widespread. Previous work has evaluated historical written records from across Europe to understand the historical extent of the species, the timeframes of its declines and the consequences on coastal ecosystems, including a highly detailed account of the major oyster fisheries based along Scotland’s east coast. However clear differences between the east and west coasts of Scotland, both in terms of physical landscape and cultural heritage, suggest highly different environmental histories and cultural values for this species. This study aims to conduct an initial investigation into the historical relationship between native oyster and human communities in western Scotland, focusing on coastal Argyll and the Inner Hebrides in the period circa 1600 to 1900. Aiming to place the environmental declines in the complex social and cultural situation of that region during that time period, it will focus on oyster in the context of the Gàidhealtachd and evidence how the language declines present in today’s Scotland can risk loss of ecological knowledge about the environment. As cultural dimensions are one of four types of benefits that people 20 derive from nature, known as ecosystem services and generated by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) project, recognition and analysis of different cultures and their relationships with nature is inherent in such environmental analysis. This work draws on historical written records (roughly 1750 onwards 25 in typically English-speaking landowning classes) obtained from archives alongside records in cultural artefacts (songs and place-names, prior to written records in typically Gaelic-speaking communities) to understand how people viewed and used shellfish in these communities. Mentions of shellfish in cultural artefacts suggest they played an important role in connecting Gaelic-speaking people with place, suggesting high cultural value in this geographic region prior to the eighteenth century. Mentions of shellfish presence and extraction began to appear more regularly in written records from landowners after this period and after approximately 1830, diversification of estate productivity meant that communities that would have farmed preferentially were forced to switch to depending on natural resources from the sea, with limited examples of fishing, oyster cultivation or subsistence collection prior to this period and many more afterwards. More importantly, this analysis demonstrates the importance of recognising the values and identities present in the Gàidhealtachd as distinct from those in mainstream British culture. The connections between language, culture and environmental changes are highly relevant in enacting effective restoration, management and policy initiatives that align with community needs and values, particularly in Gaelic culture. Maintaining and prioritising sealladh a’ Ghàidheil (the Gaelic worldview) is essential in establishing a mutual dialogue around the co-creation of community-based evidence-informed approaches to management of land and sea

Topographic signature of magmatic emplacement at depth: the case of the Larderello-Travale Geothermal area (Northern Apennines, Italy)

Magmatism is an important driver of topographic change. However, our understanding of its long-term impact on topographic evolution remains incomplete. We investigate the potential surface response to magmatic intrusions in the active Larderello-Travale geothermal field, in the northern Italian Apennines. Here, multiple igneous bodies have intruded since the Pliocene causing at least 500 m of large-wavelength surface uplift. We combine available stratigraphic information with a new set of morphological analyses and river inversion models to quantify, the magnitude, rate, and spatial distribution of uplift throughout the last 3.5 Ma. In describing the style of the uplift, we report a temporal and spatial correlation between rock uplift pulses and middle crust magma injections. For the first time in this area, we document the positive feedback between different magma injections and local surface responses (e.g., river incision). We use a surface evolution model to suggest a potential scenario of magma emplacement over time. In this sense, we suggest that at the very beginning, uplift rates were higher to the north of the current thermal anomaly, and only after the uplift migrated further south. This could indicate that the deep source of the Larderello-Travale geothermal field might not be precisely located underneath the current thermal anomaly. This would allow undocumented plutons (deep enough such that they are not evidenced by shallow thermal anomalies) to be tracked, leading to more conscious and effective strategies for geothermal exploration

Trapping and remobilization during geological CO₂ storage: A pore-scale imaging and modeling study

CO₂ storage in geological formations is important in the reduction of CO₂ emissions. Residual trapping – CO₂ immobilized by capillary forces – contributes significantly to the overall storage. Earlier findings at field conditions have indicated a delayed remobilization – a safety enhancing phenomenon – of residually trapped CO₂ in conditions of pressure depletion. The present study investigates the underlying processes of this phenomenon by means of detailed pore-level analysis. We first compare our pore network model against experimental data from high-resolution 3D X-ray imaging. General agreement is found and in both the experiment and the model, remobilization occurs at a higher saturation value – called the critical saturation (Sgc) – than the residual saturation (Sgr). A significant reduction in the relative permeability of the gas is also predicted. The model is then applied to different rocks. The results show that the Sgc is not a simple function of porosity, permeability or residual saturation. Instead, complex pore scale phenomena related to pore connectivity governing the behavior and case-specific studies are required to determine the exact value. For practical purposes, the difference between residual saturation and critical saturation is approximately between 2-4%. The reduction in gas relative permeability varies between 60-90% compared to that for drainage with no expansion

Death sentence

No abstract available

Boon or bane?: the hybrid institutional complex for the sustainable development goals

This Special Section marks the tenth anniversary of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Progress on the latter has been dismal, with only 17% of targets on track. The contributions to this Special Section explore the global governance of the SDGs as a Hybrid Institutional Complex (HIC): a global governance complex characterized by institutional diversity in that it combines formal intergovernmental organizations, informal intergovernmental institutions, public-private partnerships, multistakeholder initiatives, and private transnational institutions. The HIC framework suggests that this institutional diversity can offer governance benefits, such as good substantive fit for addressing complex transboundary SDG challenges and good political fit by including a broad swathe of actors relevant for goal attainment. Yet it also highlights governance risks, including individual institutions assuming governance tasks that they are poorly suited for and powerful actors cherry-picking goals and softer forms of governance that fit their interests. By applying the HIC concept to discrete dimensions of SDG governance and subfields, the contributions examine whether institutional diversity is driving or hindering progress. As we approach the 2030 deadline, they provide insights into the benefits and risks of HIC-based SDG governance, offering reflections on the remaining and post-2030 development agenda

Novel biallelic <i>NUP107</i> variants affect the nuclear pore complex and expand the clinical spectrum to include brain malformations

Biallelic variants in NUP107 cause isolated or syndromic steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS), characterised by proteinuria, hypoalbuminaemia and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis that progresses to end-stage renal disease. Patients with syndromic SRNS have microcephaly, developmental delay or intellectual disability and short stature. Simplified gyration is observed in some individuals. We report on a 2-year-old girl with novel biallelic NUP107 variants, c.2606G&gt;T; p.(Gly869Val) and c.1576+1G&gt;A, proteinuria and a severe neurodevelopmental disorder with microcephaly, developmental delay, early-onset seizures, sensorineural hearing loss and brain structural anomalies, including simplified gyral pattern and hypoplasia of the corpus callosum, pons, brainstem and cerebellum. NUP107 is part of the NUP107-160 complex, which, together with other proteins termed nucleoporins, forms the nuclear pore complex (NPC). The NPC regulates nucleocytoplasmic transport and other cellular processes. In patient-derived fibroblasts, we identified aberrantly spliced NUP107 mRNAs with a frameshift and premature stop codon leading to non-sense-mediated mRNA decay, reduced levels of NUP107 transcripts, reduced NUP107 and NUP133 proteins, and a reduced NPC number. In addition, an abnormal nucleolar morphology was found in patient-derived cells. Our functional data support the conclusion that the NUP107 variants underlie the patient’s phenotype, thereby broadening the clinical spectrum associated with NUP107 variants to include abnormal brain development

Co-design and development of a Personalised Exercise-based Rehabilitation and self-management programme FOR people with Multiple long-term conditions: The PERFORM intervention

Background: Exercise and self-management support may be clinically effective and cost-effective treatments for a range of individual long-term conditions (LTCs), as they activate multiple beneficial physiological and psychological mechanisms. We aimed to develop a complex intervention to deliver exercise and self-management support for people with multiple LTCs (MLTCs). Methods: Following the Person Based Approach to intervention development, we conducted ten co-development workshops with people with MLTCs, family and friends; healthcare providers; service commissioners and policymakers. The workshops iteratively identified the unmet needs of people with MLTCs and informed a programme theory outlining theoretical mechanisms of change and intervention strategies to change the targeted behaviours. They also identified ideas for efficient delivery and service providers’ training needs. Mixed methods feedback from the Personalised Exercise-Rehabilitation FOR people with Multiple long-term conditions (PERFORM) feasibility study (reported elsewhere) informed intervention refinement. Results: A diverse group of stakeholders (26 people with MLTCs/supporters, 13 service providers, 16 experts in chronic illness and 14 service commissioners) helped to develop the PERFORM intervention. This included 16 supervised exercise sessions and 16 ‘Health and Wellbeing’ self-management support sessions, delivered in hospital or community settings over eight weeks, plus check-in sessions at four and six months. The self-management sessions covered maintenance of exercise/physical activity, healthy eating and managing common symptoms (pain, fatigue, breathlessness, stress). Conclusion: The PERFORM intervention is a comprehensive, evidence-informed, theoretically driven self-management and exercise-based rehabilitation intervention, co-developed with people with MLTCs, service providers and service commissioners. PERFORM is now ready for evaluation regarding clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness

An acceptance-based guided self-help program for weight loss maintenance in adults who have previously completed a behavioral weight loss program: The SWiM feasibility study

Background: Most weight lost during weight-loss programmes is eventually regained. Interventions based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) demonstrate good evidence for long-term weight loss, but are often costly and difficult to scale up. Guided self-help programmes delivered using technology and non-specialist coaches could increase scalability, but it is unclear whether delivering ACT-based interventions in this way is feasible and acceptable. Methods: In this feasibility study, 61 people who recently completed a behavioral weight management intervention (BWMI) for weight management were randomly allocated to SWiM (“Supporting Weight Management”: 4-month digital guided self-help ACT-based intervention for weight loss maintenance) or a standard care group (leaflet about maintaining weight loss) using a 2:1 allocation ratio. At baseline and 6 months, participants completed measures of weight, mental health, eating behavior, and other psychosocial variables. Participants completed an intervention evaluation questionnaire. At 3 and 6 months, qualitative interviews were conducted with participants from both trial arms and SWiM coaches. The analysis integrated statistics and thematic analysis, informed by the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for process evaluations. Since this was a feasibility study, analyses focused on process outcomes instead of interpreting statistical significance. Results: Eighty-eight percent (36/41) of participants allocated to SWiM completed at least the first session and 22 (54%) completed all sessions. At 6 months, mean weight change was −2.2 (+/−6.4 SD) kg in SWiM participants and +2.2 (+/−6.6) kg in standard care participants. Descriptively, eating behavior and mental health scores improved in SWiM participants but not in standard care participants. In interviews, SWiM participants noted that they reinforced their existing knowledge while acquiring new skills and strategies, which were felt to contribute to positive behavioral changes. Conclusion: The SWiM intervention is practical and well-received, and shows promise in supporting weight loss maintenance, though evaluation in a larger trial is needed to assess effectiveness. Trial Registration: ISRCTN1268596

Spatial profiling of giant cell arteritis tissues reveals immune heterogeneity and potential predictors of glucocorticoid response

Objectives: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an immune-mediated vasculitis of large- and mediumsized arteries that can lead to systemic symptoms and irreversible vision loss. Glucocorticoids (GCs) remain the primary treatment but fail to induce sustained remission (SR) in approximately half of patients, resulting in disease relapses and significant treatment-related toxicity. We aimed to identify tissue-based markers at disease onset capable of distinguishing patients who later achieve SR from those who do not (non-remission [NR]) under GC monotherapy. Methods: Using spatial biology techniques, we performed a comprehensive analysis of GCAaffected arterial tissues obtained at disease onset, correlating molecular profiles with clinical trajectory. We compared gene expression and immune cell populations between SR and NR groups, corroborated key findings by immunohistochemistry, and evaluated the diagnostic performance of identified biomarkers. Results: Patients with NR exhibited an upregulation of extracellular matrix remodelling (ECM) and Tcell activation pathways, reflecting persistent inflammation and fibrotic-like responses. By contrast, SR cases were distinguished by an enrichment of immunoglobulin G-producing plasma cells in the adventitia, which correlated with increased macrophage infiltration in the intima. Quantitative analyses suggested that combining plasma cell and macrophage markers could accurately predict GC responsiveness. Conclusions: Our findings reveal an immunopathologic signature in GCA at diagnosis, characterised by plasma cell-rich infiltrates associated with favourable outcomes, and ECM- and T cellassociated inflammation enriched in GC-refractory cases. These insights could foster a precision medicine approach to GCA management, enabling patient stratification for GC-sparing therapies and optimising patient outcomes

Obesity and chronic kidney disease: the dual epidemic in cardiovascular health

More than half of adults are overweight/obese and one in 10 has chronic kidney disease (CKD). These patients are at high risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This review discusses the pathophysiology, epidemiology, therapeutic principles and challenges of obesity management in adults with non-dialysis-dependent CKD. Inflammation, metabolic dysfunction and neurohormonal changes are central processes in the development of obesity-associated kidney disease. Obesity with metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for de novo CKD, progression to end-stage kidney disease and cardiovascular death. Treatment options to address obesity and related sequelae include lifestyle interventions, such as dietary modification and exercise therapy, drug treatment, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter inhibitors, and metabolic surgery, such as vertical sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or gastric banding. Challenges of management include fragmented care, limited evidence and the obesogenic environment. Cardiologists and nephrologists should work collaboratively to proactively screen for and manage cardiorenal risk in obese adults with CKD to mitigate avoidable harm