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The predictable nature of whale shark (Rhincondon typus) aggregations around the world forms the basis for nature-based tourism. The Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP), Western Australia is one of those locations and a management program has been in place since 1993. Measuring the effectiveness of the management program is important to minimise potential impacts on the whale sharks. In NMP tour operator vessels are equipped with an Electronic Management System (EMS) to collect data during whale shark encounters. Using EMS data and associated images of identified whale sharks from the months of March to July between 2011 to 2019, Generalised Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) and Generalised Linear Mixed Effect Models (GLMMs) assessed the variation in duration of whale shark encounters. Using EMS data from 2010 to 2023 we mapped the density distribution of all whale shark encounters to identify hotspots. From the 44,017 whale shark encounters between 2011 to 2019, 7585 involved 986 individuals. On average individual sharks were encountered 4.30 times per day (± SD 3.15), with a mean duration of 15.30 mins (± SD 13.17). In Tantabiddi, daily encounters, distance, Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), habitat and vessel were important in predicting the variation in encounter duration, whereas in Coral Bay daily encounters, encounter number, SOI, sex and vessel were important at predicting the variation in encounter duration. There was no evidence to suggest a significant variation in whale shark encounter duration between days after repeated encounters in Tantabiddi or Coral Bay. However, some individuals were repeatedly encountered in a day with a cumulative encounter duration up to 224 minutes. A significant negative relationship between encounter duration and number of daily encounters was identified for Tantabiddi -0.073, p-value < 0.001, Coral Bay -12.3, p-value < 0.001 and for NMP overall -0.083, p-value

Introduction Mammographic imaging can cause considerable stress and anxiety for some patients and may require someone to remain in the room during the procedure to provide both physical and emotional support. As such, these comforters and carers (C&C) are exposed to ionising radiation. Limited evidence is available stating the radiation dose received during a digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) examination. This research aims to determine the optimal standing position for a C&C in the mammography room during a DBT mammogram that results in the lowest radiation dose, whilst providing high‐quality imaging, care and comfort to the patient. Methods A scatter detector was used to measure the dose at different standing positions of the carer relative to the patient during an examination. A polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom was also used to model the patient's breast and torso for further scatter dose measurements. Results The median air kerma for craniocaudal views posterior to the patient is 0.75 μGy compared with 10.1 μGy to either side. The median air kerma for mediolateral oblique views for posterolateral position is 0.41 μGy compared with 2.6 μGy anterolateral. No significant effect from breast density is noted from the dataset. Conclusion The optimal position for the C&C to stand is directly behind the patient in the craniocaudal position, and as far as possible posterolateral to the breast being imaged in the mediolateral oblique position. These two positions will result in the least radiation dose to the C&C.

Marine snakes represent the most speciose group of marine reptiles and are a significant component of reef and coastal ecosystems in tropical oceans. Research on this group has historically been challenging due to the difficulty in capturing, handling, and keeping these animals for field- and lab-based research. Inexplicable declines in marine snake populations across global hotspots have highlighted the lack of basic information on this group and elevated multiple species as conservation priorities. With the increased interest in research on marine snakes, we conducted a systematic survey of experts to identify twenty key questions that can direct future research. These questions are framed across a wide array of scientific fields to produce much-needed information relevant to the conservation and management of marine snakes.

Frequent mobility has been linked to poorer educational attainment. We investigated the association between moving home and moving school frequently and the early childhood formal educational achievement. We carried out a cohort analysis of 121,422 children with anonymised linked records. Our exposure measures were: 1) the number of residential moves registered with a health care provider, and 2) number of school moves. Our outcome was the formal educational assessment at age 6-7. Binary regression modeling was used to examine residential moves within the three time periods: 0 -

Aging increases susceptibility to infection, in part because thymic involution culminates in reduced naïve T-lymphocyte output. Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are critical to ensure normal maturation of thymocytes and production of peripheral T cells. The forkhead-class transcription factor, encoded by FoxN1, regulates development, differentiation, and function of TECs, both in the prenatal and postnatal thymus. We recently showed that expression of FoxN1, by keratin 14 (K14)-expressing epithelial cells is essential for maintenance of thymic medullary architecture, and deletion of FoxN1 in K14 promoter-driven TECs inhibited development of mature TECs and reduced the number of total thymocytes. These findings are reminiscent of changes observed during normal thymic aging. In the current report, we compared the effects of K14-driven FoxN1 deletion on peripheral T cell function in response to influenza virus infection with those associated with normal aging in a mouse model. FoxN1-deleted mice had reduced numbers of peripheral CD62L+CD44- naïve T-cells. In addition, during influenza infection, these animals had reduced antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell and IgG responses to influenza virus, combined with increased lung injury, weight loss and mortality. These findings paralleled those observed in aged wild type mice, providing the first evidence that K14-mediated FoxN1 deletion causes changes in T-cell function that mimic those in aging during an immune response to challenge with an infectious agent.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in astrophysical environments, as revealed by their pronounced emission features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.3, and 12.7 μm commonly ascribed to the C–H and C–C vibrational modes. Although these features have long been predicted to be polarized, previous searches for PAH polarization led to null or, at best, tentative detections. Here we report the definite detection of polarized PAH emission at 11.3 μm in the nebula associated with the Herbig Be star MWC 1080. We measure a polarization degree of 1.9% ± 0.2%, which is unexpectedly high compared to models. This poses a challenge in the current understanding of the alignment of PAHs, which is required to polarize the PAH emission but thought to be substantially suppressed. PAH alignment with a magnetic field via a resonance paramagnetic relaxation process may account for such a high level of polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Illness is seen as the enemy in today's world, while spirituality might be considered counter-cultural. This article explores the positive attributes of illness seen through the eyes of spirituality. By identifying spiritual themes in a person's life, especially evident in times of illness, one may maximize the experience of illness for its benefit rather than its curse.