Supreme Threat: The Just War Tradition and the Invasion of Iraq

This work intends to be an application and understanding of the Christian just war tradition as it pertains to the actions of the United States government in Iraq. It includes a short history of the evolution of the tradition, the application and discussion of the three most controversial criterion, and a discussion of how the terror attacks on the World Trade Center may constitute a pre-emptive strike. Essentially, the piece endeavors to explore how untested, unseen dangers drive a government to act for the defense of its citizens and their way of life. The theory draws heavily on Michael Walzer’s invention of the concept of “supreme emergency” which allowed for exceptional actions during war if a people’s entire way of life is threatened

Nutritional adequacy and content of food bank parcels in Oxfordshire, UK: a comparative analysis of independent and organisational provision

Background: Food bank use has increased significantly in the UK. With the rise in demand, it is imperative that users are receiving food parcels that meet their requirements. The present study aimed to explore whether typical food parcels, supplied by The Trussell Trust and independent food banks, were meeting the daily nutrient and energy requirements of an adult user. Methods: The Trussell Trust (n = 2) and independent food banks (n = 9) were surveyed in Oxfordshire, UK. Data were collected on food bank use, resources, donations and parcel content. The energy and nutrient contents of a representative parcel were compared with the average dietary reference values (DRVs) for an adult. Additional comparisons were made between The Trussell Trust and independent provision. Results: Parcels provided energy, carbohydrate, sugar, protein and fibre contents that significantly exceeded the DRVs. In total, 62.2% of energy was provided as carbohydrate and 569% of the DRV was provided by sugars. The vitamin D and retinol content of the parcels was significantly lower than the DRVs, meeting 25% and 27% of users’ needs respectively; provision of all other micronutrients exceeded the DRVs. The Trussell Trust’s parcels provided significantly less vitamin D and copper than independent parcels. Conclusions: Food bank parcels distributed in Oxfordshire, UK, exceeded energy requirements and provided disproportionately high sugar and carbohydrate and inadequate vitamin A and vitamin D compared to the UK guidelines. Improved links with distributors and access to cold food storage facilities would help to address these issues, via increased fresh food provisio

An investigation into the nutritional composition and cost of gluten-free versus regular food products in the UK

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Fry L., Madden A. M. & Fallaize R. (2017), 'An investigation into the nutritional composition and cost of gluten-free versus regular food products in the UK', Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol. 31 (1): 108-120, January 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12502. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 29 August 2018. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Background: The gluten-free (GF) food market has expanded considerably, although there is limited comparative evidence for the nutritional quality and cost of GF food products. The present study aims to compare the nutrient composition and cost of GF and gluten-containing (regular) foods across 10 food categories in the UK. Methods: Nutritional information and the cost of GF foods available in the UK (n = 679) and comparable regular foods (n = 1045) were systematically collected from manufacturer and supermarket websites. Foods were classified using UK front-of-pack labelling for content of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt and nutrient content, and cost per 100 g were identified and compared between GF and regular foods. Results: Overall, more GF foods were classified as containing high and medium fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt than regular foods, although this was not universally consistent. More GF bread and flour products contained high fat and sugar, whereas fewer GF crackers contained high fat and sugar compared to regular foods. High salt content was found more frequently in GF than regular products. On average, GF products were 159% more expensive than regular (£0.44/100 g versus £1.14/100 g). GF items were also more likely to be lower in fibre and protein content than regular foods. Conclusions: Differences exist in the nutritional composition of GF and regular food. GF food is unlikely to offer healthier alternatives to regular foods, except for those who require a GF diet for medically diagnosed conditions, and it is associated with higher costs.Peer reviewe

Large-scale parallelised boundary element method electrostatics for biomolecular simulation

Large-scale biomolecular simulations require a model of particle interactions capable of incorporating the behaviour of large numbers of particles over relatively long timescales. If water is modelled as a continuous medium then the most important intermolecular forces between biomolecules can be modelled as long-range electrostatics governed by the Poisson- Boltzmann Equation (PBE). We present a linearised PBE solver called the "Boundary Element Electrostatics Program"(BEEP). BEEP is based on the Boundary Element Method (BEM), in combination with a recently developed O(N) Fast Multipole Method (FMM) algorithm which approximates the far-�field integrals within the BEM, yielding a method which scales linearly with the number of particles. BEEP improves on existing methods by parallelising the underlying algorithms for use on modern cluster architectures, as well as taking advantage of recent progress in the �field of GPGPU (General Purpose GPU) Programming, to exploit the highly parallel nature of graphics cards. We found the stability and numerical accuracy of the BEM/FMM method to be highly dependent on the choice of surface representation and integration method. For real proteins we demonstrate the critical level of surface detail required to produce converged electrostatic solvation energies, and introduce a curved surface representation based on Point-Normal G1-continuous triangles which we �find generally improves numerical stability compared to a simpler surface constructed from planar triangles. Despite our improvements upon existing BEM methods, we �find that it is not possible to directly integrate BEM surface solutions to obtain intermolecular electrostatic forces. It is, however, practicable to use the total electrostatic solvation energy calculated by BEEP to drive a Monte-Carlo simulation

Evaluation of the eNutri automated personalised nutrition advice by users and nutrition professionals in the UK

Nutrition apps have great potential to support people to improve their diets, but few apps give automated validated personalised nutrition advice. A web app capable of delivering automated personalised food-based nutrition advice (eNutri) was developed. The aims of this study were to i) evaluate and optimise the personalised nutrition report provided by the app and ii) compare the personalised food-based advice with nutrition professionals’ standards to aid validation. A study with nutrition professionals (NP) compared the advice provided by the app against professional Registered Dietitians (RD) (n=16) and Registered Nutritionists (RN) (n=16) standards. Each NP received two pre-defined scenarios, comprising an individual’s characteristics and dietary intake based on an analysis of a food frequency questionnaire, along with the nutrition food-based advice that was automatically generated by the app for that individual. NPs were asked to use their professional judgment to consider the scenario, provide their three most relevant recommendations for that individual, then consider the app’s advice and rate their level of agreement via 5-star scales (with 5 as complete agreement). NPs were also asked to comment on the eNutri recommendations, scores generated and overall impression. The mean scores for the appropriateness, relevance and suitability of the eNutri diet messages were 3.5, 3.3 and 3.3 respectively

A diffusion approach to Stein's method on Riemannian manifolds

We detail an approach to develop Stein's method for bounding integral metrics on probability measures defined on a Riemannian manifold $\mathbf{M}$. Our approach exploits the relationship between the generator of a diffusion on $\mathbf{M}$ with target invariant measure and its characterising Stein operator. We consider a pair of such diffusions with different starting points, and investigate properties of solution to the Stein equation based on analysis of the distance process between the pair. Several examples elucidating the role of geometry of $\mathbf{M}$ in these developments are presented

Popular nutrition-related mobile apps: a feature assessment

Background: A key challenge in human nutrition is the assessment of usual food intake. This is of particular interest given recent proposals of eHealth personalized interventions. The adoption of mobile phones has created an opportunity for assessing and improving nutrient intake as they can be used for digitalizing dietary assessments and providing feedback. In the last few years, hundreds of nutrition-related mobile apps have been launched and installed by millions of users. Objective: This study aims to analyze the main features of the most popular nutrition apps and to compare their strategies and technologies for dietary assessment and user feedback. Methods: Apps were selected from the two largest online stores of the most popular mobile operating systems—the Google Play Store for Android and the iTunes App Store for iOS—based on popularity as measured by the number of installs and reviews. The keywords used in the search were as follows: calorie(s), diet, diet tracker, dietician, dietitian, eating, fit, fitness, food, food diary, food tracker, health, lose weight, nutrition, nutritionist, weight, weight loss, weight management, weight watcher, and ww calculator. The inclusion criteria were as follows: English language, minimum number of installs (1 million for Google Play Store) or reviews (7500 for iTunes App Store), relation to nutrition (ie, diet monitoring or recommendation), and independence from any device (eg, wearable) or subscription. Results: A total of 13 apps were classified as popular for inclusion in the analysis. Nine apps offered prospective recording of food intake using a food diary feature. Food selection was available via text search or barcode scanner technologies. Portion size selection was only textual (ie, without images or icons). All nine of these apps were also capable of collecting physical activity (PA) information using self-report, the global positioning system (GPS), or wearable integrations. Their outputs focused predominantly on energy balance between dietary intake and PA. None of these nine apps offered features directly related to diet plans and motivational coaching. In contrast, the remaining four of the 13 apps focused on these opportunities, but without food diaries. One app—FatSecret—also had an innovative feature for connecting users with health professionals, and another—S Health—provided a nutrient balance score. Conclusions: The high number of installs indicates that there is a clear interest and opportunity for diet monitoring and recommendation using mobile apps. All the apps collecting dietary intake used the same nutrition assessment method (ie, food diary record) and technologies for data input (ie, text search and barcode scanner). Emerging technologies, such as image recognition, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence, were not identified. None of the apps had a decision engine capable of providing personalized diet advice

The Role of Diet in the Management of Psoriasis: A Scoping Review

© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic, immune-mediated, inflammatory skin disease associated with significant comorbidities. Globally, there are an estimated 60 million people living with psoriasis (PLwP). There is a growing body of evidence on the role of diet in psoriasis management and demand for dietary advice is high. However, there are no specific, evidence-based dietary guidelines. This scoping review summarises the literature on use and effectiveness of diet in the management of psoriasis to improve understanding of the evidence and assist PLwP and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to discuss diet. The findings were categorised into three themes (1) dietary intakes of PLwP, (2) the perceived role of diet in psoriasis management and (3) dietary approaches to manage psoriasis symptoms. In cross-sectional studies PLwP were reported to have higher fat and lower fibre intakes compared to controls, and lower psoriasis severity was associated with higher fibre intake. However, research is limited. PLwP perceive diet to have an impact on symptoms and make dietary modifications which are often restrictive. Systematic reviews and RCTs found certain dietary approaches improved symptoms, but only in specific populations (e.g., PLwP with obesity and PLwP with coeliac disease), and evidence for supplement use is inconclusive. The grey literature provides limited guidance to PLwP; focusing on weight-loss and associated comorbidities. Larger, controlled trials are required to determine dietary approaches for psoriasis management, especially in PLwP without obesity and non-coeliac PLwP. Further understanding of diet modification, information acquisition and experiences among PLwP will enhance holistic care for psoriasis management.Peer reviewe

Dietary intake, nutritional status and mental wellbeing of homeless adults in Reading, UK

Malnutrition has been reported in the homeless, yet the specific nutritional issues faced by each homeless community are unclear. This is in part due to nutrient intake often being compared with dietary reference values as opposed to a comparative housed population. In addition, the complex interplay between nutrient intake, reward mediated behaviour and mental illness is frequently overlooked. This study aimed to compare the dietary intake, nutritional status and mental wellbeing of homeless and housed adults. Homeless (n 75) and matched housed (n 75) adults were recruited from Reading (UK). Nutrient intake was determined using the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Norfolk FFQ. The Patient Health Questionnaire: Somatic Anxiety Depressive Symptoms (PHQ-SADS) assessed for signs of mental illness. Demographic, behavioural and physiological information was collected using closed-ended questions and anthropometric measurements. Overall, dietary intake was poorer in homeless adults who reported higher intakes of salt (8·0 v. 6·4 g, P=0·017), SFA (14·6 v. 13·0 %, P=0·002) and alcohol (5·3 v. 1·9 %, P<0·001) and lower intakes of fibre (13·4 v. 16·3 g, P<0·001), vitamin C (79 v. 109 mg, P<0·001) and fruit (96 v. 260 g, P<0·001) than housed. Smoking, substance misuse and PHQ-SADS scores were also higher in the homeless (P<0·001). Within the homeless population, street homeless (n 24) had lower SFA (13·7 v.15·0 %, P=0·010), Ca (858 v. 1032 mg, P=0·027) and milk intakes (295 v. 449 g, P=0·001) than hostel residents (n 51), which may reflect the issues with food storage. This study highlights the disparity between nutritional status in homeless and housed populations and the need for dietary intervention in the homeless community