Macroalgal mat species diversity, composition, and seasonality at four coastal sites across the English Channel/La Manche region

Seaweed mats are a consequence of eutrophication in coastal waters and can have negative ecological impacts. Consequently, many European environmental assessment frameworks (e.g. the Water Framework Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive) monitor seaweed mat biomass. Ulva, commonly referred to as sea lettuce, is often assumed to be the dominant taxon, but mats can contain multiple Ulva species, and other taxa, and within-mat diversity is often poorly known. Understanding the composition of seaweed mats has implications for nutrient removal from coastal waters because seaweeds uptake and store nutrients differently between species, time of year and location. The use of traditional molecular methods to identify seaweed species cannot easily be applied to mats. In contrast, with the development of Next Generation Sequencing and Cleaved Amplified Polymorphic Sequences assay, a bulk sampling approach for monitoring the seaweed species within mats can be applied. Here, we applied this bulk sampling approach to monitor seaweed species at four sites: three estuarine sites containing mudflats and one exposed sandy site across the English Channel/La Manche region that historically and currently have occurrences of seaweed mats. We assessed variability between sites with respect to biomass, entrainment, species composition and seasonality. The highest mat abundance was found at Holes Bay, Poole, UK and entrainment or burial of seaweed within the sediment was found at two sites, Holes Bay and the Ledano Estuary, France, correlating with similar sediment types and high seaweed biomass. Foliose Ulva lacinulata dominated at Holes Bay, while Langstone Harbour, Portsmouth, UK had many tubular and filamentous green species and one brown filamentous species. At the two French sites we identified foliose Ulva species. This study demonstrates the high seaweed species diversity and biomass that can be found within macroalgal mats, information that will be important in the refinement and development of model-based nutrient removal estimates as part of nutrient mitigation and management strategies

CORRECTION: Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to methanol integrated with the oxidative coupling of thiols for S-X (X = S, C) bond formation over an Fe3O4/BiVO4 composite

Correction for ‘Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to methanol integrated with the oxidative coupling of thiols for S–X (X = S, C) bond formation over an Fe3O4/BiVO4 composite’ by Nitish Saini et al., Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2024, 8, 1750–1760, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3SE01651J. The authors regret the omission of one of the affiliations of the author, Suman L. Jain, from the original manuscript. The corrected list of authors and affiliations for this paper is as shown here. The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers

Anthropometric Measurements from a 3D Photogrammetry-Based Digital Avatar: A Non-Experimental Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Reliability and Agreement

Photogrammetry captures and stitches multiple images together to generate a digital model of the human body, called an avatar, making it potentially useful in healthcare. Its validity for anthropometry remains to be established. We evaluated the reliability and agreement of measurements derived from a three-dimensional digital avatar generated by photogrammetry compared to manual collection. Fifty-three volunteers (34.02 ± 11.94 years of age, 64% female, 22.5 kg∙m−2 body mass index) were recruited, and twenty-two body regions (neck, armpits, biceps, elbows, wrists, chest, breast, waist, belly, hip, thighs, knees, calves, ankles) were taken by an individual rater with a tape measure. Digital measurements were generated from photogrammetry. Participants’ intraclass correlation coefficients indicated strong consistency, with agreement of over 90% for limb regions such as biceps, elbows, wrists, thighs, knees, calves, and ankles, while chest and armpits showed lowest agreement (1 cm) and variation. Bland–Altman analysis revealed wider limits of agreements and higher biases for chest (−2.44 cm), waist and belly (around −1.2 cm), and armpits (around −1.1 cm) compared to limbs. Our findings suggest that photogrammetry-based digital avatars can be a promising tool for anthropometric assessment, particularly for limbs, but may require refinement in trunk-related regions

Supply network disruption: A framework for assessing vulnerability and implementing resilience strategies

Disruptions to food supply chains can have significant impacts on food security and economic stability. This study investigates the resilience of supply networks to such disruptions, focusing on the distribution of live fish between farms in England and Wales as a case study. A decision support framework is developed to assess network vulnerability and ensure operational continuity in the face of disruptions to the supply and demand balance. The framework incorporates a novel rewiring algorithm that dynamically reconfigures network connections to maintain the flow of goods. The algorithm predicts supply-demand pairs and adjusts connections to preserve functionality during disruptions. To evaluate the performance of the framework and algorithm, a combination of topological metrics, such as connectivity and redundancy, and operational measures, including supply fulfilment and distribution efficiency, is utilised. Through simulations of random and targeted node removals, the rewiring algorithm is shown to effectively mitigate the impact of disruptions, preserve network functionality, and help ensure a consistent supply of live fish. These findings offer valuable insights for managing disruptions in aquaculture supply chains and highlight the broader applicability of the framework to enhance the resilience of other supply networks

The Positive Cycle of Breastfeeding-Mental Health Outcomes of Breastfeeding Mothers Following Birth Trauma.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: It is established that both birth and infant feeding experiences can impact maternal mental health, but little is known about how the two might interact. Potentially, a positive breastfeeding experience might help to mitigate feelings associated with birth trauma, but conversely, a difficult feeding experience might further compound birth trauma. The aim of this study was therefore to explore how mothers' experiences of breastfeeding following birth trauma might impact their mental health. METHODS: To explore this, mothers were invited to complete an online survey about their experiences of birth and breastfeeding and how they felt these affected their wellbeing. There were 501 responses, with 159 (32%) describing their birth experience as traumatic and therefore included in this analysis. A thematic analysis approach was used to explore themes around breastfeeding experiences and the impact on wellbeing. RESULTS: Mothers who described positive breastfeeding experiences felt that breastfeeding helped them to bond with their baby post birth trauma and that this protected their mental health. Conversely, mothers who had a difficult experience described how pain, exhaustion, and low milk supply further negatively impacted their wellbeing. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show the importance of enhanced support for breastfeeding mothers who have experienced birth trauma, as feeding experiences can potentially help heal or compound challenging memories, thoughts, and emotions around birth

Application of Systems-of-Systems Theory to Electromagnetic Warfare Intentional Electromagnetic Interference Risk Assessment

Battlefields contain complex networks of electromagnetic (EM) systems, owned by adversary/allied military forces and civilians, communicating intentionally or unintentionally. Attacker’s strategies may include Intentional EM Interference (IEMI) to adversary target systems, although transmitted signals may additionally degrade/disrupt allied/civilian systems (called victims). To aid decision-making processes relating to IEMI attacks, Risk Assessment (RA) is performed to determine whether interference risks to allied/civilian systems are acceptable. Currently, there is no formalized Quantitative RA Method (QRAM) capable of calculating victim risk distributions, so a novel approach is proposed to address this knowledge gap, utilizing an Electromagnetic Warfare (EW) IEMI RA method modeling scenarios consisting of interacting EM systems within complex, dynamic, diverse, and uncertain environments, using Systems-of-Systems (SoS) theory. This paper aims to address this knowledge gap via critical analysis utilizing a case study which demonstrates the use of an Acknowledged SoS-based model as input to a QRAM capable of calculating victim risk distributions within EW IEMI RA-associated scenarios. Transmitter operators possess only uncertain/fuzzy knowledge of victim systems, so it is proposed that a Moot Acknowledged System-of-Fuzzy-Systems applies to EW IEMI RA scenarios. In summary, a novel SoS description feeding a novel QRAM (supported by a systematic literature review of RA mathematical modeling techniques)is proposed to address the knowledge gap

Evaluating the impact of user and learning experience in three cultural heritage VR applications

Many existing Virtual Reality (VR) applications in the Digital Cultural Heritage (DCH) domain are for education purposes. As educational VR DCH experiences become more prevalent, it becomes increasingly important to understand the user and learner experience of such installations. This work reports on a user study (n=30) evaluating three educational VR DCH experiences using three existing User experience (UX) evaluation methodologies from related fields and three learning evaluation methodologies. A total of 31 participants were recruited for the experiment, resulting in a dataset of 30 valid records. Our research seeks to explore the relationship between UX and Learning experience (LX), and their impact on learning in VR DCH experiences. Our results suggest that UX and LX in educational VR DCH experiences can influence certain aspects of learning, such as retention, concentration, motivation, and flexibility. Additionally, specific aspects of the educational VR DCH experience captured evidence by three existing UX evaluation and three learning evaluation methodologies are identified. These include instrumental aspects (ease of use, learnability, efficiency, etc.), stimulation of new experiences, the role of interactions, immersion in VR DCH contexts and flexibility of learning pace and using learning materials

Treatment of menopausal vasomotor symptoms and sensory issues in a 53-year-old autistic woman – a case report

Considered a taboo topic in many societies, menopause in autistic women is still under-recognised, and little research addresses its impact. Existing studies suggest that this often-difficult transition period is associated with numerous unmet health needs and a frustrating lack of knowledge and support from healthcare professionals. Menopausal vasomotor symptoms, the hallmark of menopause, can intensify and worsen sensory sensitivities in many autistic women. We present the case of a 53-year-old Caucasian autistic woman without intellectual disability or other current psychiatric comorbidities. The patient underwent gynaecologic and hormonal lab testing, and was introduced to hormone replacement therapy to ameliorate symptoms of oestradiol and progesterone deficiency. Menopausal vasomotor symptoms experienced by the patient were monitored over a period of seven months following the implementation of hormone replacement therapy and nonpharmacologic approaches. Hormone replacement therapy decreased menopausal vasomotor symptoms, but not all her initial complains. Strong sensory issues were linked to more severe menopausal vasomotor symptoms. This case highlights the need for further research and the development of the global Extension for Community Health Outcomes (ECHO) Autism® model to advance medical care offered to autistic women during menopause

Defensive routines as coping mechanisms against technostress: roles of digital leadership and employee goal orientation

In today's workplace, the proliferation of digital technologies has transformed work tasks but also led to technostress. This stress, associated with technology use, negatively impacts employees’ behavioral outcomes and performance. Despite these effects, research on coping strategies for technostress and mitigation methods for individuals and organizations remains limited. This study utilizes the transactional theory of stress and coping to analyze the process of technostress, specifically focusing on defensive routines as a coping mechanism and technology-enabled performance as an outcome. Additionally, the study draws on Job-Demand Resource model to examine two critical moderators: employees' goal orientations and digital leadership. To gather data, we collected multisource data from 221 salespeople and their line managers in Pakistan. The results demonstrate that defensive routines act as a mediator between technostress creators and technology-enabled performance. Furthermore, we found that digital leadership plays a buffering role, alleviating the negative impact of technostress creators on technology-enabled performance. This research significantly contributes to the existing theories on technostress and routine dynamics

Dot Probe Tasks Produce No Attentional Modifications Towards Healthy Weight Bodies

Objective: Using the dot-probe paradigm, previous research has demonstrated that women on average show attentional biases towards underweight bodies. However, little research has used these paradigms to examine the malleability of such biases. Here, we examined whether a single session of attention bias modification training, in which participants were trained to attend to healthy-weight bodies, reduced attentional orientation towards underweight bodies and improved body satisfaction. Method: One hundred and twenty-one female participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group in which they were trained to attend to healthy weight bodies or a control group (with no manipulation). Participants' body satisfaction was measured at two phases, before and following attentional training. Results: We found no changes to attentional biases or body satisfaction across both groups. Conclusion: Dot-probe attention bias modification tasks may not be able to modify body satisfaction and attention biases towards healthy-weight bodies following a single training session. Future research is encouraged to consider alternative attentional modification paradigms to modify pathological body image