35 research outputs found
A great sporting nation? Sport participation in New Zealand youth
Sport is a key avenue to promote regular physical activity and health inyoung people. The study aim was to describe sport participation in NewZealand young people. A national cross-sectional survey of young peopleaged 5–24 years (n=2,503) was conducted. Use of time, demographicand anthropometric data were analysed for participants aged 10–18years (n=1,308) to identify patterns of sport participation. Overall, 894(68%) participants reported engaging in sport. Average daily participationwas 48 minutes of sport and 153 minutes of moderate-vigorous physicalactivity; sport participation therefore accounted for 31% of moderatevigorousphysical activity by time. Sport participation was higher inmales than females, in younger (10–14 years) than older (15–18 years)participants, and in Pacific young people than in other ethnic groups.Pacific youth reported the highest participation in team-based sports butthe lowest participation in individual-based sports. There were gender,age and ethnic differences in the most popular sports. Overall, sportparticipation contributed considerably to daily physical activity. Femaleswere particularly ‘at-risk’ for lower sport participation, and may benefit from targeted intervention. The popularity of sports differed among demographic groups, suggesting it is important to ensure a range of sports are accessible to young people
Working with the National Framework for Inclusion: a guide for teacher educators
This companion resource accompanies the National Framework for Inclusion 3rd edition and was developed by the Scottish Universities Inclusion Group (SUIG) and edited by Di Cantali (SUIG Chair). SUIG is a working group of the Scottish Council of Deans of Education
Evolution of the Mass-Metallicity Relation from Redshift to the Local Universe
A tight positive correlation between the stellar mass and the gas-phase
metallicity of galaxies has been observed at low redshifts. The redshift
evolution of this correlation can strongly constrain theories of galaxy
evolution. The advent of JWST allows probing the mass-metallicity relation at
redshifts far beyond what was previously accessible. Here we report the
discovery of two emission-line galaxies at redshifts 8.15 and 8.16 in JWST
NIRCam imaging and NIRSpec spectroscopy of targets gravitationally lensed by
the cluster RXJ2129.40005. We measure their metallicities and stellar masses
along with nine additional galaxies at to report the
first quantitative statistical inference of the mass-metallicity relation at
. We measure dex evolution in the normalization of the
mass-metallicity relation from to the local Universe; at fixed
stellar mass, galaxies are 8 times less metal enriched at
compared to the present day. Our inferred normalization is in agreement with
the predictions of the FIRE simulations. Our inferred slope of the
mass-metallicity relation is similar to or slightly shallower than that
predicted by FIRE or observed at lower redshifts. We compare the
galaxies to extremely low metallicity analog candidates in the local Universe,
finding that they are generally distinct from extreme emission-line galaxies or
"green peas" but are similar in strong emission-line ratios and metallicities
to "blueberry galaxies". Despite this similarity, at fixed stellar mass, the galaxies have systematically lower metallicities compared to
blueberry galaxies.Comment: Published in Ap
National framework for inclusion
Inclusive education is the cornerstone of Scottish education and, as such, must be of the highest priority for the Scottish Government and for all those involved in education in Scotland. There is clear recognition of the fact that teachers need to be well prepared and appropriately supported throughout their careers if they are to succeed in developing and sustaining the desired inclusive practice which will enable them to meet the increasingly diverse needs of all children within schools in Scotland
Working with the National Framework for Inclusion: a guide for teacher educators
This companion resource accompanies the National Framework for Inclusion 3rd edition and was developed by the Scottish Universities Inclusion Group (SUIG) and edited by Di Cantali (SUIG Chair). SUIG is a working group of the Scottish Council of Deans of Education
Spectroscopy from Lyman alpha to [O III] 5007 of a Triply Imaged Magnified Galaxy at Redshift z = 9.5
Given their extremely faint apparent brightness, the nature of the first
galaxies and how they reionized the Universe's gas are not yet understood. Here
we report the discovery, in James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) imaging, of a
highly magnified, low-mass (log(M_*/M_sol)=7.70^{+0.11}_{-0.09}) galaxy visible
when the Universe was only 510 Myr old, and follow-up prism spectroscopy of the
galaxy extending from Lyman alpha to [O III] 5007 in its rest frame. Our JWST
spectrum provides [O III] 5007 and H beta detections with a respective
signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of 40 and 13, as well as six additional lines with
S/N > 3. These emission lines yield a redshift of z=9.51 and star-formation
rate of 2.12 +- 0.53 solar masses per year. The galaxy's large inferred value
of [O III]/[O II] = 16 +- 6 suggests that this galaxy has an escape fraction of
ionizing radiation larger than 10%, indicating that a population of similar
objects could contribute substantially to the reionization budget. Using
multiple techniques, we infer a gas oxygen abundance of 12 + log(O/H) = 7.48 +-
0.05 dex, consistent within 2 sigma of the mass-metallicity relation observed
for dwarf galaxies in the local Universe
Flashlights: More than A Dozen High-Significance Microlensing Events of Extremely Magnified Stars in Galaxies at Redshifts z=0.7-1.5
Once only accessible in nearby galaxies, we can now study individual stars
across much of the observable universe aided by galaxy-cluster gravitational
lenses. When a star, compact object, or multiple such objects in the foreground
galaxy-cluster lens become aligned, they can magnify a background individual
star, and the timescale of a magnification peak can limit its size to tens of
AU. The number and frequency of microlensing events therefore opens a window
into the population of stars and compact objects, as well as high-redshift
stars. To assemble the first statistical sample of stars in order to constrain
the initial mass function (IMF) of massive stars at redshift z=0.7-1.5, the
abundance of primordial black holes in galaxy-cluster dark matter, and the IMF
of the stars making up the intracluster light, we are carrying out a 192-orbit
program with the Hubble Space Telescope called "Flashlights," which is now
two-thirds complete owing to scheduling challenges. We use the ultrawide F200LP
and F350LP long-pass WFC3 UVIS filters and conduct two 16-orbit visits
separated by one year. Having an identical roll angle during both visits, while
difficult to schedule, yields extremely clean subtraction. Here we report the
discovery of more than a dozen bright microlensing events, including multiple
examples in the famous "Dragon Arc" discovered in the 1980s, as well as the
"Spocks" and "Warhol" arcs that have hosted already known supergiants. The
ultradeep observer-frame ultraviolet-through-optical imaging is sensitive to
hot stars, which will complement deep James Webb Space Telescope infrared
imaging. We are also acquiring Large Binocular Telescope LUCI and Keck-I
MOSFIRE near-infrared spectra of the highly magnified arcs to constrain their
recent star-formation histories
Cross-Sectional Study of Sleep Quantity and Quality and Amnestic and Non-Amnestic Cognitive Function in an Ageing Population: The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA)
Background
The aim was to investigate the association between sleep disturbances and cognitive function in younger and older individuals from an ageing population.
Methods
3,968 male and 4,821 female white participants, aged 50 years and over, from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) were studied. Information on sleep quality and quantity as well as both amnestic (memory, ACF) and non-amnestic (non-memory, nACF) function was available at Wave 4 (2008). Analysis of covariance was used to evaluate the relationship between sleep and cognitive function.
Results
After adjustment for multiple confounders in the younger group (50–64 years) duration of sleep explained 15.2% of the variance in ACF (p = 0.003) and 20.6% of nACF (p = 0.010). In the older group (65+ years) the estimates were 21.3% (p<0.001) and 25.6% (p<0.001), respectively. For sleep quality, there was a statistically significant association between sleep quality and both ACF (p<0.001) and nACF (p<0.001) in the older age group, but not in the younger age group (p = 0.586 and p = 0.373, respectively; interaction between age and sleep quality in the study sample including both age groups: p<0.001 for ACF and p = 0.018 for nACF). Sleep quality explained between 15.1% and 25.5% of the variance in cognition. The interaction with age was independent of duration of sleep. At any level of sleep duration there was a steeper association between sleep quality and ACF in the older than the younger group.
Conclusions
The associations between sleep disturbances and cognitive function vary between younger and older adults. Prospective studies will determine the temporal relationships between sleep disturbances and changes in cognition in different age groups
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The NKF-NUS hemodialysis trial protocol - a randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of a self management intervention for hemodialysis patients
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Poor adherence to treatment is common in patients on hemodialysis which may increase risk for poor clinical outcomes and mortality. Self management interventions have been shown to be effective in improving compliance in other chronic populations. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of a recently developed group based self management intervention for hemodialysis patients compared to standard care.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>This is a multicentre parallel arm block randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a four session group self management intervention for hemodialysis patients delivered by health care professionals compared to standard care. A total of 176 consenting adults maintained on hemodialysis for a minimum of 6 months will be randomized to receive the self management intervention or standard care. Primary outcomes are biochemical markers of clinical status and adherence. Secondary outcomes include general health related quality of life, disease-specific quality of life, mood, self efficacy and self-reported adherence. Outcomes will be measured at baseline, immediately post-intervention and at 3 and 9 months post-intervention by an independent assessor and analysed on intention to treat principles with linear mixed-effects models across all time points. A qualitative component will examine which aspects of program participants found particularly useful and any barriers to change.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The NKF-NUS intervention builds upon previous research emphasizing the importance of empowering patients in taking control of their treatment management. The trial design addresses weaknesses of previous research by use of an adequate sample size to detect clinically significant changes in biochemical markers, recruitment of a sufficiently large representative sample, a theory based intervention and careful assessment of both clinical and psychological endpoints at various follow up points. Inclusion of multiple dependent variables allows us to assess the broader impact on the intervention including both hard end points as well as patient reported outcomes. This program, if found to be effective, has the potential to be implemented within the existing renal services delivery model in Singapore, particularly as this is being delivered by health care professionals already working with hemodialysis patients in these settings who are specifically trained in facilitating self management in renal patients.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRTN31434033">ISRTN31434033</a></p
Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome
The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead