Theoretical value of the recommended expanded European Standard Set of STR loci for the identification of human remains

We have undertaken a series of simulations to assess the effectiveness of commercially available sets of STR loci, including the loci recommended for inclusion in the expanded European Standard Set, for the purpose of human identification. A total of 9200 genotype simulations were performed using DNA · VIEW. The software was used to calculate likelihood ratios (LRs) for 23 groups of relatives, and to determine the probability of identification given scenarios that ranged between 10 and 250,000 victims. The additional loci included in the recommended expanded European Standard Set, when used in conjunction with the Identifiler® kit, significantly improved the typical LRs for tested scenarios and the likely success of providing correct identifications

Alcohol consumption among university students: a typology of consumption to aid the tailoring of effective public health policy

Objective: Elevated levels of alcohol consumption among university students are well documented. Policymakers have attempted to combat this issue at a university, national and international level. Tailoring public health policy to effectively tackle alcohol use is crucial. Using Q-methodology, the current study aims to develop a typology of alcohol consumption in the Irish university student population. Setting: A large Irish university. Participants Hundreds of possible statements on types of consumption were generated from a systematic review and a set of one-on-one interviews. These were reduced to 36 statements, 6 statements which define each of the 6 previously defined consumption types. Participants were advised to scan through the 36 statements and fill the statements into a ‘forced choice, standardised distribution’. Following this, a 45–90 min interview was conducted with students to illuminate subjectivity surrounding alcohol consumption. Analysis was conducted using PQ Method and NVivo software. Principal component analysis, followed by varimax rotation, was conducted to uncover the final factor information. Results: In total, 43 students completed the Q-study: 19 men and 24 women. A typology describing 4 distinct groupings of alcohol consumer was uncovered: the guarded drinker, the calculated hedonist, the peer-influenced drinker and the inevitable binger. Factor loadings of each of the consumer groupings were noted for type description. Conclusions: This is the first study to propose ideal types of alcohol consumption among a university student population. Further research is required to investigate the degree to which each of these ideal types is subscribed. However, this typology, in addition to informing public policy and strategies, will be a valuable analytic tool in future research

Arctic Cod (Boreogadus saida) as Prey: Fish Length-Energetics Relationships in the Beaufort Sea and Hudson Bay

Although Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) is widely recognized as an important trophic link to top predators in Arctic marine ecosystems, the challenges of conducting fieldwork in the Arctic make this species difficult to study. We establish some basic relationships to improve prey energetics modeling when only in-field parameters (e.g., fork length) can be measured. We investigated the intraspecific relationships among energy density, fork length, mass, and water content for Arctic cod captured by Black Guillemots and Thick-billed Murres at two sites (Western Beaufort and Hudson Bay). Dry energy density was similar between sites (21.6 – 22.2 kJ g-1) and increased with fork length (Dry EDkJ/g = 0.028 (± 0.01) • Fork Lengthmm + 18.12 (± 1.33). Even though fish lost some water as they were transported to the nest by avian predators, wet energy density also increased with fork length. We suggest that environmental conditions had a similar effect on growth at these two locations although they occur in very different oceanographic regimes. Arctic cod, especially large cod, is one of the most energy-rich prey species in the Arctic. Our results highlight the importance of this valuable prey to Arctic ecosystems and the utility of using seabirds opportunistically as samplers of the marine environment.Même si la morue polaire (Boreogadus saida) est grandement reconnue comme un lien trophique important pour les prédateurs situés en bout de chaîne des écosystèmes marins de l’Arctique, cette espèce est difficile à étudier en raison des défis inhérents à la réalisation de travaux sur le terrain dans l’Arctique. Nous établissons des relations de base afin d’améliorer la modélisation de la valeur énergétique des proies lorsque seuls des paramètres sur le terrain (comme la longueur à la fourche) peuvent être mesurés. Nous avons étudié les relations intraspécifiques qui existent entre la densité d’énergie, la longueur à la fourche, la masse et la teneur en eau de la morue polaire capturée par le guillemot à miroir et le guillemot de Brünnich à deux sites (ouest de Beaufort et baie d’Hudson). La densité d’énergie sèche était semblable entre les sites (21,6 – 22,2 kJ g-1) et augmentait en fonction de la longueur à la fourche (DE sèche EDkJ/g = 0,028 (± 0,01) • longueur à la fourchemm + 18,12(± 1,33). Même si les poissons perdaient de l’eau pendant le transport jusqu’au nid par les oiseaux prédateurs, la densité d’énergie humide augmentait également en fonction de la longueur à la fourche. Nous suggérons que les conditions environnementales avaient un effet similaire sur la croissance à ces deux sites même s’ils se trouvent dans des régimes océanographiques très différents. La morue polaire, surtout celle de grande taille, est l’une des espèces proies les plus riches en énergie de l’Arctique. Nos résultats mettent en évidence l’importance de cette précieuse proie pour les écosystèmes de l’Arctique et l’utilité de se servir des oiseaux de mer de manière opportuniste en guise d’échantillonneurs de l’environnement marin

Alcohol advertising during televised Australian Football finals

Alcohol marketing during sport, and alcohol industry sponsorship of sporting events, is highly lucrative; however, concerns have been raised over the impact on child and adolescent viewers of repeated exposure to alcohol marketing messages. The aim of this research project was to investigate the amount and type of alcohol marketing during two major sporting events in 2012 - the semi-finals and grand final of the AFL and NRL. The broadcasts of these six games were audited for alcohol advertisements and other advertising communications. Almost one-fifth of the screen time included alcohol marketing. Policy and practice implications of these findings are discussed

Central-place Foraging in an Arctic Seabird Provides Evidence for Storer-Ashmole's Halo

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Chemsex, Anxiety and Depression Among Gay, Bisexual and Other Men Who have Sex with Men Living with HIV

Funding Research did not receive any specific funding.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Barriers and facilitators to initial and continued attendance at community-based lifestyle programmes among families of overweight and obese children: a systematic review

The success of childhood weight management programmes relies on family engagement. While attendance offers many benefits including the support to make positive lifestyle changes, the majority of families referred to treatment decline. Moreover, for those who do attend, benefits are often compromised by high programme attrition. This systematic review investigated factors influencing attendance at community-based lifestyle programmes among families of over-weight or obese children. A narrative synthesis approach was used to allow for the inclusion of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method study designs. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Results suggest that parents provided the impetus for programme initiation, and this was driven largely by a concern for their child's psychological health and wellbeing. More often than not, children went along without any real reason or interest in attending. Over the course of the programme, however, children's positive social experiences such as having fun and making friends fostered the desire to continue. The stigma surrounding excess weight and the denial of the issue amongst some parents presented barriers to enrolment and warrant further study. This study provides practical recommendations to guide future policy makers, programme delivery teams and researchers in developing strategies to boost recruitment and minimise attrition

Mitigation of carbon using Atriplex nummularia revegetation

The use of abandoned or marginally productive land to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions may avoid competition with food and water production. Atriplex nummularia Lindl. is a perennial shrub commonly established for livestock forage on saline land, however, its potential for carbon mitigation has not been systematically evaluated. Similarly, although revegetation is an allowable activity to mitigate carbon within Article 3.4 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Kyoto Protocol, there is a paucity of information on rates of carbon mitigation in soils and biomass through this mechanism. For six sites where A. nummularia had been established across southern Australia four were used to assess changes in soil carbon storage and four were used to develop biomass carbon sequestration estimates. A generalised allometric equation for above and below ground biomass was developed, with a simple crown volume index explaining 81% of the variation in total biomass. There were no significant differences in soil organic carbon storage to 0.3 m or 2 m depth compared to existing agricultural land-use. Between 2.2 and 8.3 Mg C ha−1 or 0.2–0.6 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 was sequestered in above and below ground biomass and this translates to potential total sequestration of 1.1–3.6 Tg C yr−1 on saline land across Australia. Carbon income and forage grazing may thus provide a means to finance the stabilization of compromised land

Follow-up of blood-pressure lowering and glucose control in type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND In the Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation (ADVANCE) factorial trial, the combination of perindopril and indapamide reduced mortality among patients with type 2 diabetes, but intensive glucose control, targeting a glycated hemoglobin level of less than 6.5%, did not. We now report results of the 6-year post-trial follow-up. METHODS We invited surviving participants, who had previously been assigned to perindopril–indapamide or placebo and to intensive or standard glucose control (with the glucose-control comparison extending for an additional 6 months), to participate in a post-trial follow-up evaluation. The primary end points were death from any cause and major macrovascular events. RESULTS The baseline characteristics were similar among the 11,140 patients who originally underwent randomization and the 8494 patients who participated in the post-trial follow-up for a median of 5.9 years (blood-pressure–lowering comparison) or 5.4 years (glucose-control comparison). Between-group differences in blood pressure and glycated hemoglobin levels during the trial were no longer evident by the first post-trial visit. The reductions in the risk of death from any cause and of death from cardiovascular causes that had been observed in the group receiving active blood-pressure–lowering treatment during the trial were attenuated but significant at the end of the post-trial follow-up; the hazard ratios were 0.91 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 to 0.99; P=0.03) and 0.88 (95% CI, 0.77 to 0.99; P=0.04), respectively. No differences were observed during follow-up in the risk of death from any cause or major macrovascular events between the intensive-glucose-control group and the standard-glucose-control group; the hazard ratios were 1.00 (95% CI, 0.92 to 1.08) and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.92 to 1.08), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The benefits with respect to mortality that had been observed among patients originally assigned to blood-pressure–lowering therapy were attenuated but still evident at the end of follow-up. There was no evidence that intensive glucose control during the trial led to long-term benefits with respect to mortality or macrovascular events