Lamniform sharks are amongst the largest-bodied extant fishes and have an evolutionary history spanning ~135 million years (Ma). Fossils correlate their initial development of mega-body size ( ≥ 6 m) with ecological radiation as marine top-predators during the later part of the mid-Cretaceous (after the late Albian, ~100 Ma). Here, we push back this earliest appearance of gigantic lamniforms by ~15 Ma (upper Aptian, ~115 Ma) with the discovery of enormous cardabiodontid shark remains from northern Australia. We compiled a comprehensive dataset of vertebral centrum diameters versus maximum body length measurements for living lamniforms to calculate length and mass estimates of extinct taxa using both intraspecific and interspecific regression models. Our results show that mega-body size is an ancient lamniform trait, with the Australian cardabiodontid being around 6–8 m and over 3 tons. This rivalled some of the largest coeval marine reptiles and suggests that lamniforms invaded top-predator niches from an early stage in their adaptive evolution.

Background/Objective: Temporal eating patterns and ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption have independently been associated with obesity and non-communicable diseases. Little is known about the temporal patterns of UPF consumption, as data is challenging to collect. Temporal data can be extracted from mobile food records (mFRs). The aim of this study was to identify the temporal eating patterns of those consuming UPFs using an mFR. Methods: A combined sample of 243 young (18–30 years) and 148 older (>30 years) adults completed a 4-day mFR. The time of eating was extracted from the mFR image metadata. UPFs were identified using the NOVA food classification system. The proportion of total energy intake (EI) from UPFs was calculated hourly. Using chi-square tests, a day-of-the-week analysis compared weekends (Friday–Sunday) with weekdays (Monday–Thursday). A multivariate logistic regression of UPF EI terciles was conducted, expressed as odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: The proportion of total EI from UPFs was significantly different between younger adults (mean ± SD = 48.8 ± 15.6%) and older adults (36.1 ± 15.1%) (p < 0.001). Age-differentiated 24 h temporal eating pattern analysis found that younger adults had two distinct UPF EI peaks, with the highest at 8 pm, followed by 1 pm. Older adults followed a more conventional three-meal pattern with an additional peak at 7 am. Weekend UPF EI was higher than on weekdays for older adults (~560 kJ, p = 0.003), with no difference for younger adults. Multivariable logistic regression found no significant associations between UPF intake terciles and demographic variables (sex, BMI, education). Conclusions: The peak UPF EI occurred at conventional mealtimes, and UPFs accounted for a substantial proportion of energy intake, especially for younger adults. The timing of UPF EI provides important information for developing public health nutrition interventions.

Simple SummaryHead and neck cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and is often linked to tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and certain viral infections. These factors increase harmful molecules called reactive oxygen species, which can damage cells but can also be used to destroy cancer cells. This review explores the dual role of these molecules in cancer—helping tumors grow in some cases, while also offering a way to eliminate cancer cells through treatment. We describe how cancer cells protect themselves from this damage by activating defense systems that can make them resistant to therapy. Understanding these mechanisms may guide the development of more effective future treatments that precisely target cancer cells, minimize side effects, and improve patient survival and quality of life.Objectives: This review examines the role of oxidative stress in the survival, apoptosis, and therapy resistance of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells, with a focus on how redox imbalance influences tumour progression and treatment outcomes. Methods: A literature search was conducted in Scopus using the keywords head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and antioxidant systems. Articles published in English were included, without restrictions on publication year. Reviews, clinical studies, and experimental research addressing oxidative stress mechanisms in HNSCC were considered, while non-English papers and studies unrelated to HNSCC were excluded. Key Findings: ROS exhibit dual effects in HNSCC, promoting tumour growth and DNA damage while also inducing apoptosis through molecular interactions. Elevated ROS contribute to drug resistance by inhibiting apoptosis, altering autophagy, and enhancing proliferation. Cancer cells counteract this via adaptive antioxidant responses involving transcriptional regulation and upregulation of enzymatic defences. Major risk factors for HNSCC—alcohol, tobacco, and high-risk HPV infection—disrupt redox homeostasis, underscoring the central role of oxidative stress in both carcinogenesis and therapy response. Conclusions: Oxidative stress plays a context-dependent role in HNSCC progression and treatment resistance. Targeting redox-regulatory pathways may provide therapeutic benefit. This review synthesizes recent insights on ROS-mediated mechanisms, highlighting potential strategies for improving HNSCC management beyond existing literature.

Abstract There is an increasing global focus on gender diversity and equality in the workplace, particularly regarding women in leadership roles. Our study explores this focus in the wine industry in Australia, examining women's representation in CEO, winemaker, viticulturist, and marketing roles. By using results from a previous Australian study, we find that women have significantly increased their presence in all roles but one (marketing role) when comparing 2007–2013 with 2021–2023. Our study also confirms that women are more likely to be in winemaking and viticulturist roles, conditional upon a woman being in the CEO role. However, women in winemaking and viticulturist roles still lag behind women in leadership roles across other industries in Australia. We offer conclusions and directions for future research.

Abstract A key science goal of large sky surveys such as those conducted by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and precursors to the Square Kilometre Array is the identification of variable and transient objects. One approach is analyzing time series of the changing brightness of sources, namely, light curves. However, finding adequate statistical representations of light curves is challenging because of the sparsity of observations, irregular sampling, and nuisance factors inherent in astronomical data collection. The wide diversity of objects that a large-scale survey will observe also means that making parametric assumptions about the shape of light curves is problematic. We present a Gaussian process (GP) regression approach for characterizing light-curve variability that addresses these challenges. Our approach makes no assumptions about the shape of a light curve and, therefore, is general enough to detect a range of variable and transient source types. In particular, we propose using the joint distribution of GP amplitude hyperparameters to distinguish variable and transient candidates from nominally stable ones and apply this approach to 6394 radio light curves from the ThunderKAT survey. We compare our results with two variability metrics commonly used in radio astronomy, namely η ν and V ν , and show that our approach has better discriminatory power and interpretability. Finally, we conduct a rudimentary search for transient sources in the ThunderKAT data set to demonstrate how our approach might be used as an initial screening tool. Computational notebooks in Python and R are available to help deploy this framework to other surveys.

Abstract We re-investigated the distance to the black hole X-ray binary 4U 1630−47 by analyzing its dust scattering halo (DSH) using high-resolution X-ray (Chandra) and millimeter (APEX) observations. Dust scattering halos form when X-rays from a compact source are scattered by interstellar dust, creating diffuse ring-like structures that can provide clues about the source’s distance. Our previous work suggested two possible distances: 4.9 kpc and 11.5 kpc, but uncertainties remained due to low-resolution CO maps. We developed a new methodology to refine these estimates, starting with a machine learning approach to determine 3D representation of molecular clouds from the APEX dataset. The 3D maps are combined with X-ray flux measurements to generate synthetic DSH images. By comparing synthetic images with the observed Chandra data through radial and azimuthal profile fitting, we not only measure the source distance but also distinguish whether the molecular clouds are at their near- or far-distances. The current analysis again supported a distance of 11.5 kpc over alternative estimates. While the method produced a lower reduced χ2 for both the azimuthal and radial fits for a distance of 13.6 kpc, we ruled it out as it would have produced a bright ring beyond the APEX field of view, which is not seen in the Chandra image. The 4.85 kpc estimate was also excluded due to poor fit quality and cloud distance conflicts. The systematic error of 1 kpc, which arises due to errors in determining molecular cloud distances, dominates the total error.

Abstract BackgroundThe prevalence of self‐harm is high across neurodivergence. Help‐seeking is an important component of the management of mental health problems and self‐harm, but it is low in adolescents who self‐harm. Combined with a common neurodivergent challenge of encountering multiple barriers in accessing support, it is unclear whether and how neurodivergent adolescents who self‐harm seek, receive, and perceive mental health support in comparison to their peers.MethodParticipants were 12,209 adolescents (aged 11–18 years) from the OxWell 2023 Student Survey in English schools. Of these, 1001 (8.2%) self‐identified as neurodivergent (dyslexic, dyspraxic, autistic, and/or have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and self‐reported self‐harm. We conducted three separate mixed‐effect models to examine (1) help‐seeking, (2) receipt, and (3) perceived helpfulness of the support.ResultsProportionally more adolescents who reported both self‐harm and self‐identified neurodivergence sought help compared to their peers who reported no self‐harm and/or no neurodivergence. In line with previous studies, all adolescents were more likely to seek support from informal than formal sources and least likely to seek support online. Yet, self‐identified neurodivergent adolescents who self‐harm were more likely to seek formal support than their peers. When support was sought, adolescents in all groups were likely to receive it. However, those who reported either self‐harm or self‐identified neurodivergence were less likely to perceive the support received as helpful, especially from formal services.ConclusionSelf‐identified neurodivergent adolescents who self‐harm report greater unmet need for mental health support, but not due to a lack of help‐seeking. These findings, instead, point to potential issues with the acceptability of support received. This highlights the need to better understand which forms and locations of support are most acceptable to meet the specific needs of this population.

Background There is growing interest in personalised approaches to dementia risk assessment and prevention. Risk prediction tools can estimate an individual's likelihood of developing dementia, but none are currently used clinically. Socioeconomic disadvantaged populations may reduce opportunities for individuals to engage in healthy behaviours that support brain health even if risk is determined. Aim To explore the potential challenges and facilitators in introducing dementia risk prediction tools into UK general practice, with an emphasis on those living in areas of socioeconomic deprivation. Design and Setting General Practices from three geographical areas of England (Greater Manchester, North East, and South East). Method Semi-structured qualitative interviews exploring the views of key stakeholders around the use of risk prediction tools for future dementia analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results In total 71 participants were purposively sampled and interviewed (31 primary care staff; 40 patients). We identified four themes which influenced engagement with dementia risk prediction in general practice (1) risk as an idea, (2) patient views on the impact of, and choice around, risk screening, (3) embedding risk prediction into clinical consultations, and (4) wider system level engagement to support adoption of risk prediction tools to prevent dementia. Conclusion Dementia risk assessment presents distinct challenges compared to other areas of medicine. The increased public awareness around dementia prevention and risk reduction can facilitate this process. When developing interventions, there needs to be a recognition of the need for a whole systems approach that supports individuals to adopt strategies to reduce their risk.