Murray-Darling basin freshwater shells: riverine reservoir effect

We report carbon isotope measurements on pre-bomb museum samples of freshwater mussel shells collected alive from riverine locations in New South Wales, Australia. The calculated reservoir ages, ranging from -60 to +112 years, are much smaller than those for Australian marine shells and not considered significant for the radiocarbon dating of Late Pleistocene freshwater shells from the Murray-Darling Basin

Coastal fog detection using visual sensing

Use of visual sensing techniques to detect low visibility conditions may have a number of advantages when combined with other methods, such as satellite based remote sensing, as data can be collected and processed in real or near real time. Camera-enabled visual sensing can provide direct confirmation of modelling and forecasting results. Fog detection, modelling and prediction are a priority for maritime communities and coastal cities due to economic impacts of fog on aviation, marine, and land transportation. Canadian and Irish coasts are particularly vulnerable to dense fog under certain environmental conditions. Offshore oil and gas production on Grand Bank (off the Canadian East Coast) can be adversely affected by weather and sea state conditions. In particular, fog can disrupt the transfer of equipment and people to/from the production platforms by helicopter. Such disruptions create delays and the delays cost money. According to offshore oil and gas industry representatives at a recent workshop on metocean monitoring and forecasting for the NL offshore, there is a real need for improved forecasting of visibility (fog) out to 3 days. The ability to accurately forecast future fog conditions would improve the industry’s ability to adjust its schedule of operations accordingly. In addition, it was recognized by workshop participants that the physics of Grand Banks fog formation is not well understood, and that more and better data are needed

Sensory processing and eating behaviours in autism:A systematic review

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between sensory processing and a broad range of eating behaviours across the lifespan. METHODS: Five electronic databases of published and unpublished quantitative studies were systematically searched, evaluated for risk of bias and synthesised according to identified eating outcomes. RESULTS: Across 25 studies, there was consistent evidence of a relationship between sensory processing and a range of eating behaviours. There was early evidence for the particular role of taste/smell sensitivities, as well as hypersensitivities, although future research is needed looking at different sensory patterns and modalities. There was also tentative evidence to suggest this relationship extends across development. DISCUSSION: Study findings are discussed in relation to implications for sensory‐based eating and feeding interventions and the development of eating disorders. Methodological and conceptual limitations are discussed and suggestions for future research are made to address these limitations. A broader investigation of multi‐sensory issues and clearly defined eating behaviours, including disordered eating in clinically diagnosed samples, will allow for a more comprehensive and robust understanding of the relationship between sensory processing and eating behaviours in autism

Barriers and facilitators to ethical co-production with Autistic people with an eating disorder

Background: Co-production is the collaboration between researchers and the lived experience community in designing, conducting and sharing research. The importance of co-production is increasingly advocated in both the autism and eating disorder fields. Despite this, there remains a lack of clarity at how to define, apply and conduct ethical co-production. Understanding common challenges and what we can do to overcome these challenges are integral to ensuring ethical and meaningful research with Autistic people with an eating disorder. The current study therefore explored: What are the barriers and facilitators to ethical co-production with Autistic people with an ED?Methods: Five workshops were conducted with 30 collaborators exploring barriers and facilitators to ethical co-production. Synchronous (online workshops) and asynchronous (offline discussion forum) data was analysed using thematic analysis. Themes were co-produced by a neurotypical and Autistic researcher with lived/living experience of an eating disorder.Results: Four themes were identified that explored barriers to ethical co-production: Unequal Partnerships, The Inaccessibility of Research, Excluded by Diagnoses and Communication Differences. Three themes were identified with regards to facilitators of ethical co-production: Shared Power (with sub-themes Relationships, not Roles and Creative Compensation), Clarity and Transparency and Autism-affirming Approaches.Discussion: Conducting ethical co-production with Autistic people with eating disorders has the potential to generate meaningful research that can be translated into improving the lives of the Autistic and eating disorder community. To achieve this, co-production teams should strive towards shared power and long-term relationships, adapting for communication differences and preferences and operating firmly within an autism-affirming framework. It is hoped that study findings will inspire collaboration, discussion and novel, translatable research. <br/

Camouflaging, not sensory processing or Autistic identity, predicts eating disorder symptoms in Autistic adults

The objective of this study was to explore the role that Autistic identity, sensory processing and camouflaging behaviours have on eating disorder symptomology in Autistic adults. Previous research has focused on cognitive and sensory factors to explain the association between autism and eating disorders, but the roles of social identity and camouflaging are yet to be explored. Autistic participants (N=180) were recruited from NHS settings and community groups. The participants completed online questionnaires measuring autistic identity, camouflaging behaviours, sensory processing, autistic traits and eating disorder symptoms. Multiple regression revealed that camouflaging significantly predicted eating disorder symptoms. Although sensory processing was related, it did not significantly predict eating disorder symptom severity. Additionally, there was no significant relationship between autistic identity and eating disorder symptom severity. This study highlights the impact that camouflaging behaviours and sensory processing can have on eating disorder symptomatology in autism and may indicate important considerations for the treatment of eating disorders in Autistic people

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) - Looking beyond the eating disorder lens?

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) was first included as a diagnostic category in 2013, and over the past 10 years has been adopted by the international eating disorder community. While greater awareness of these difficulties has increased identification, demand and enabled advocacy for clinical services, the heterogeneous nature of ARFID poses unique challenges for eating disorder clinicians and researchers. This commentary aims to reflect on some of these challenges, focussing specifically on the risk of viewing ARFID through an eating disorder lens. This includes potential biases in the literature as most recent research has been conducted in specialist child and adolescent eating disorder clinic settings, bringing in to question the generalisability of findings to the broad spectrum of individuals affected by ARFID. We also consider whether viewing ARFID predominantly through an eating disorder lens risks us as a field being blinkered to the range of effective skills our multi-disciplinary feeding colleagues may bring. There are opportunities that may come with the eating disorder field navigating treatment pathways for ARFID, including more joined up working with multi-disciplinary colleagues, the ability to transfer skills used in ARFID treatment to individuals with eating disorder presentations, and most notably an opportunity to provide more effective treatment and service pathways for individuals with ARFID and their families. However, these opportunities will only be realised if eating disorder clinicians and researchers step out of their current silos

Experiences of men who have sex with men when initiating, implementing, and persisting with HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis

Abstract Introduction HIV pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) involves the use of antiretroviral medication in HIV‐negative individuals considered to be at risk of acquiring HIV. It has been shown to prevent HIV and has been available in Wales since July 2017. Measuring and understanding adherence to PrEP is complex as it relies on the simultaneous understanding of both PrEP use and sexual activity. We aimed to understand the experiences of men who have sex with men (MSM) living in Wales initiating, implementing and persisting with HIV PrEP. Methods We conducted semistructured interviews with MSM PrEP users in Wales who participated in a cohort study of PrEP use and sexual behaviour. Following completion of the cohort study, participants were invited to take part in a semistructured interview about their experiences of taking PrEP. We aimed to include both individuals who had persisted with and discontinued PrEP during the study. The interview topic guide was informed by the ABC taxonomy for medication adherence and the theory of planned behaviour. We analysed our data using reflexive thematic analysis. Results Twenty‐one participants were interviewed, five having discontinued PrEP during the cohort study. The developed themes focused on triggers for initiating PrEP, habitual behaviour, drivers for discontinuation and engagement with sexual health services. Stigma surrounding both PrEP and HIV permeated most topics, acting as a driver for initiating PrEP, an opportunity to reduce discrimination against people living with HIV, but also a concern around the perception of PrEP users. Conclusion This is the first study to investigate PrEP‐taking experiences incorporating established medication adherence taxonomy. We highlight key experiences regarding the initiation, implementation and persistence with PrEP and describe how taking PrEP may promote positive engagement with sexual health services. These findings may be useful for informing PrEP rollout programmes and need to be explored in other key populations. Patient and Public Contribution PrEP users, in addition to PrEP providers and representatives of HIV advocacy and policy, were involved in developing the topic guide for this study