Why the Fermi paradox may not be well explained by Wong and Bartlett's theory of civilization collapse. A Comment on: 'Asymptotic burnout and homeostatic awakening: a possible solution to the Fermi paradox?' (2022) by Wong and Bartlett.

Wong and Bartlett explain the Fermi paradox by arguing that neither human nor extra-terrestrial civilizations can escape the time window singularity which, they claim, results from the way in which social characteristics of civilizations follow super-linear growth curves of cities. We question if data at the city level necessarily can lead to conclusions at the civilization level. More specifically, we suggest ways in which learnings from research, foresight, diversity and effective future government might act outside of their model to regulate super-linear growth curves of civilizations, and thus substantively increase the likelihood of civilizations progressing towards higher levels of the Kardashev scale.

'No one has ever told us it will be fun'. Achieving fulfilment in medical practice.

Facilitating a tutorial with medical students who appeared unusually tentative and apathetic prompted me to reflect upon the intergenerational character of Medicine and consider how we might counter the pervasive pessimism that leads to demoralisation and disillusionment. Engaging in local Communities of Practice may allow clinicians, old and new, to maintain enjoyment and fulfilment in Medicine.

A new fossil dolphin with tusk-like teeth from New Zealand and an analysis of procumbent teeth in fossil cetaceans.

Studies involving anatomical description and taxonomy of fossil odontocetes offer insights into their evolutionary history and diversity. This study analyses tusk-like teeth in odontocetes including the description of a new species, , from the Waitaki valley, North Otago, New Zealand. Dental features of , a gracile, longirostrine odontocete with procumbent tusk-like anterior teeth and slightly denticulate cheek teeth, are described in detail.

A Pliocene boxfish (Tetraodontiformes, Ostraciidae) from New Zealand - a preview of future environmental change?

We report on an articulated fossil boxfish (Tetraodontiformes, Ostraciidae) recently recovered from the Pliocene of the North Island of New Zealand. The specimen was collected from the Tangahoe Formation, a mid-Pliocene (c. 3.

Strontium isotopes reveal a globally unique assemblage of Early Miocene baleen whales.

The earliest Miocene (Aquitanian, 23-20 Ma) remains a critically under-sampled 'dark age' in cetacean evolution. This is especially true of baleen whales (mysticetes), Aquitanian specimens of which remain almost entirely unknown. Across the globe, the nature of the cetacean fossil record radically shifts at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary, with mysticetes and some archaic odontocete lineages suddenly disappearing despite the availability of cetacean-bearing rock units.

The fossil vertebrate primary type specimens in the collection of the University of Otago Department of Geology.

The 47 vertebrate type specimens held in the University of Otago Geology Department are catalogued in detail. A short history of the collection is followed by lists of the type specimens under the Classes Actinopterygii, Reptilia, Aves and Mammalia. A fish trace-fossil is included at the end of the Actinopterygii.

The moa footprints from the Pliocene - early Pleistocene of Kyeburn, Otago, New Zealand.

In March, 2019, a trackway of seven footprints was found at a riverbank outcrop of Maniototo Conglomerate Formation in the Kyeburn River, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand. In this study, we describe this first known occurrence of moa (Dinornithiformes) footprints to be found and recovered in Te Waipounamu/South Island. Footprints of the trackway were ∼46 mm deep, 272-300 mm wide and 260-294 mm in length.

a new platanistoid dolphin from the Oligocene of New Zealand with a unique feeding method.

Pre-Miocene, stem odontocetes are known for their procumbent incisors and their function has been the subject of much speculation. Notable among these were and several related taxa from New Zealand. Though some studies hypothesise the function of these teeth was for thrusting, the here described has unique teeth which might have formed a cage around small fish.

Climate change impacts on Aotearoa New Zealand: a horizon scan approach.

Many of the implications of climate change for Aotearoa (New Zealand) remain unclear. To identify so-far unseen or understudied threats and opportunities related to climate change we applied a horizon-scanning process. First, we collated 171 threats and opportunities across our diverse fields of research.

Climate change profiles of New Zealanders over time: a one-year latent transition analysis of climate change beliefs and concern.

Scientific evidence unequivocally shows that human activities cause climate change, but some people still deny it. Using New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study data from 2018 and 2019 ( = 34,733), we examined segmentation profiles regarding beliefs and concern about climate change ('Climate change is real', 'Climate change is caused by humans', 'I am deeply concerned about climate change'), the probabilities of transitioning to and from profiles over time, and the characteristics of individuals in each profile. Five profiles were identified with varying levels of climate change beliefs and concern.

Being thin-skinned can still reduce damage from dynamic puncture.

The integumentary system in animals serves as an important line of defence against physiological and mechanical external forces. Over time, integuments have evolved layered structures (scales, cuticle and skin) with high toughness and strength to resist damage and prevent wound expansion. While previous studies have examined their defensive performance under low-rate conditions, the failure response and damage resistance of these thin layers under dynamic biological puncture remain underexplored.

Energy barriers govern catheter herniation during endovascular procedures: a 2.5D vascular flow model analysis.

Endovascular procedures rely on navigating guidewires, catheters and other devices through tortuous vasculature to treat disease. A critical challenge in these procedures is catheter herniation, in which the device deviates from its intended path, often irrecoverably. To elucidate the mechanics of herniation, we developed a physical flow model of the aortic arch that enables direct measurement of device curvature during experimentally simulated neuroendovascular procedures conducted from an upper arterial access.

A brain-wide solute transport model of the glymphatic system.

Brain waste is largely cleared via diffusion and advection in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CSF flows through a pathway referred to as the glymphatic system, which is also being targeted for delivering drugs to the brain. Despite the importance of solute transport, no brain-wide models for predicting clearance and delivery through perivascular pathways and adjacent parenchyma existed.

Subtle frequency matching reveals resonant phenomenon in the flight of Odonata.

In this work, we investigate the connection between the flight flapping frequency and the intrinsic wing properties in Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). For such large flying insect species, it has been noted that the wingbeat frequency is significantly lower than the structural resonance of the wing itself. However, the structural resonance mechanism is often evoked in the literature for flying and swimming animals as a means to increase locomotion performance.

Relaxivity and In Vivo Human Performance of Brand Name Versus Generic Ferumoxytol.

Objectives: Ferumoxytol is a superparamagnetic iron-oxide product that is increasingly used off-label for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA). With the recent regulatory approval of generic ferumoxytol, there may be an opportunity to reduce cost, so long as generic ferumoxytol has similar imaging performance to brand name ferumoxytol. This study aims to compare the relaxation-concentration dependence and MRI performance of brand name ferumoxytol with generic ferumoxytol through phantom and in vivo experiments.

Evaluating the Performance and Bias of Natural Language Processing Tools in Labeling Chest Radiograph Reports.

Background Natural language processing (NLP) is commonly used to annotate radiology datasets for training deep learning (DL) models. However, the accuracy and potential biases of these NLP methods have not been thoroughly investigated, particularly across different demographic groups. Purpose To evaluate the accuracy and demographic bias of four NLP radiology report labeling tools on two chest radiograph datasets.