317 research outputs found
The future of deterrence and the US marines on Okinawa
The US-Japan alliance established over seventy years ago is typically described by leaders on both sides as the ‘cornerstone of peace and security in East Asia.’ While China and North Korea may not share this positive view of the impact of the alliance on the region, the fact is that few alliances in modern international relations rival the US-Japan one in terms of durability, integration and influence. Under the terms of the US-Japan Security Treaty, the US pledges to defend Japan and in return Japan hosts a number of US military bases. Some, like Yokosuka Naval Base, are located on the so-called ‘home islands’ – the four large islands which comprise most of the land area, as well as the historic homeland, of the Japanese nation. However, the bulk of the US military bases are to be found some 1,500 kilometres southwest of Tokyo on Okinawa Island, former centre of the Ryukyuan Kingdom. Okinawa is not just remote from Tokyo, but importantly it is close to China – and even closer to Taiwan
The Composition of Human Milk and Infant Faecal Microbiota Over the First Three Months of Life: A Pilot Study
peer-reviewedHuman milk contains a diverse array of bioactives and is also a source of bacteria for the developing infant gut. The aim of this study was to characterize the bacterial communities in human milk and infant faeces over the first 3 months of life, in 10 mother-infant pairs. The presence of viable Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus in human milk was also evaluated. MiSeq sequencing revealed a large diversity of the human milk microbiota, identifying over 207 bacterial genera in milk samples. The phyla Proteobacteria and Firmicutes and the genera Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus were the predominant bacterial groups. A core of 12 genera represented 81% of the microbiota relative abundance in milk samples at week 1, 3 and 6, decreasing to 73% at week 12. Genera shared between infant faeces and human milk samples accounted for 70–88% of the total relative abundance in infant faecal samples, supporting the hypothesis of vertical transfer of bacteria from milk to the infant gut. In addition, identical strains of Bifidobacterium breve and Lactobacillus plantarum were isolated from the milk and faeces of one mother-infant pair. Vertical transfer of bacteria via breastfeeding may contribute to the initial establishment of the microbiota in the developing infant intestine
Suppression of nitric oxide (NO)-dependent behavior by double-stranded RNA-mediated silencing of a neuronal NO synthase gene
We have used double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated RNA interference (RNAi) to disrupt neuronal nitric oxide (NO) synthase (nNOS) gene function in the snail Lymnaea stagnalis and have detected a specific behavioral phenotype. The injection of whole animals with synthetic dsRNA molecules targeted to the nNOS-encoding mRNA reduces feeding behavior in vivo and fictive feeding in vitro and interferes with NO synthesis by the CNS. By showing that synthetic dsRNA targeted to the nNOS mRNA causes a significant and long-lasting reduction in the levels of Lym-nNOS mRNA, we verify that specific RNAi has occurred. Importantly, our results establish that the expression of nNOS gene is essential for normal feeding behavior. They also show that dsRNA can be used in the investigation of functional gene expression in the context of whole animal behavior, regardless of the availability of targeted mutation technologies
Peer support for patients with type 2 diabetes: cluster randomised controlled trial
Objective To test the effectiveness of peer support for patients with type 2 diabetes
Nutrition knowledge of elite and non-elite Gaelic footballers
Dietary intake plays a significant role in athletic performance and is influenced by several factors, including nutrition knowledge. Gaelic footballers are amateur athletes who conduct high-intensity, intermittent activity during training and competition, and have previously demonstrated insufficient dietary intake. This study aimed to examine nutrition knowledge in elite and non-elite Gaelic footballers. An online survey was distributed to competitive Gaelic footballers, examining nutrition knowledge using the Abridged Nutrition for Sport Knowledge Questionnaire. Total, general, and sport nutrition knowledge were compared between elite and non-elite athletes, and those who had and had not previously received nutrition education, using Mann-Whitney U-tests. A total of 190 participants (15.3% women) completed the survey. No differences between elite and non-elite athletes in nutrition knowledge were identified (p > 0.05). Athletes with previous nutrition education scored higher than those without previous nutrition education in total (54.0 ± 4.9% vs 46.8 ± 9.6%; p = 0.002) and sport (51.9 ± 12.5% vs 43.4 ± 11.8%; p = 0.005) nutrition knowledge. Findings suggest an importance of nutrition education at all levels of athletic competition to improve nutrition knowledge, which may empower athletes to make appropriate dietary decisions to support training and competition demands
Structure and Turbulence in Simulated Galaxy Clusters and the Implications for the Formation of Radio Halos
We track the histories of massive clusters of galaxies formed within a
cosmological hydrodynamic simulation. Specifically, we track the time evolution
of the energy in random bulk motions of the intracluster medium and X-ray
measures of cluster structure and their relationship to cluster mergers. We aim
to assess the viability of the turbulent re-acceleration model for the
generation of giant radio halos by comparing the level of turbulent kinetic
energy in simulated clusters with the observed properties of radio halo
clusters, giving particular attention to the association of radio halos to
clusters with disturbedX-ray structures. The evolution of X-ray cluster
structure and turbulence kinetic energy, k, in simulations can then inform us
about the expected lifetime of radio halos and the fraction of clusters as a
function of redshift expected to host them. We find strong statistical
correlation of disturbed structure measures and the presence of enhancements in
k. Specifically, quantitatively "disturbed", radio halo-like X-ray morphology
in our sample indicates a 92% chance of the cluster in question having k
elevated to more than twice its minimum value over the cluster's life. The
typical lifetime of episodes of elevated turbulence is on the order of 1 Gyr,
though these periods can last 5 Gyrs or more. This variation reflects the wide
range of cluster histories; while some clusters undergo complex and repeated
mergers spending a majority of their time in elevated k states, other clusters
are relaxed over nearly their entire history. We do not find a bimodal
relationship between cluster X-ray luminosity and the total energy in
turbulence that might account directly for a bimodal L_X-P_{1.4 GHz} relation.
However, our result may be consistent with the observed bimodality, as here we
are not including a full treatment of cosmic rays sources and magnetic fields.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures, MNRAS Submitte
Acute hospital dementia care: results from a national audit
Background: Admission to an acute hospital can be distressing and disorientating for a person with dementia, and is associated with decline in cognitive and functional ability. The objective of this audit was to assess the quality of dementia care in acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland. Methods: Across all 35 acute public hospitals, data was collected on care from admission through discharge using a retrospective chart review (n = 660), hospital organisation interview with senior management (n = 35), and ward level organisation interview with ward managers (n = 76). Inclusion criteria included a diagnosis of dementia, and a length of stay greater than 5 days. Results: Most patients received physical assessments, including mobility (89 %), continence (84 %) and pressure sore risk (87 %); however assessment of pain (75 %), and particularly functioning (36 %) was poor. Assessment for cognition (43 %) and delirium (30 %) was inadequate. Most wards have access at least 5 days per week to Liaison Psychiatry (93 %), Geriatric Medicine (84 %), Occupational Therapy (79 %), Speech & Language (81 %), Physiotherapy (99 %), and Palliative Care (89 %) Access to Psychology (9 %), Social Work (53 %), and Continence services (34 %) is limited. Dementia awareness training is provided on induction in only 2 hospitals, and almost half of hospitals did not offer dementia training to doctors (45 %) or nurses (48 %) in the previous 12 months. Staff cover could not be provided on 62 % of wards for attending dementia training. Most wards (84 %) had no dementia champion to guide best practice in care. Discharge planning was not initiated within 24 h of admission in 72 % of cases, less than 40 % had a single plan for discharge recorded, and 33 % of carers received no needs assessment prior to discharge. Length of stay was significantly greater for new discharges to residential care (p < .001). Conclusion: Dementia care relating to assessment, access to certain specialist services, staffing levels, training and support, and discharge planning is sub-optimal, which may increase the risk of adverse patient outcomes and the cost of acute care. Areas of good practice are also highlighted
Evolution of shocks and turbulence in major cluster mergers
We performed a set of cosmological simulations of major mergers in galaxy
clusters to study the evolution of merger shocks and the subsequent injection
of turbulence in the post-shock region and in the intra-cluster medium (ICM).
The computations were done with the grid-based, adaptive mesh refinement hydro
code Enzo, using an especially designed refinement criteria for refining
turbulent flows in the vicinity of shocks. A substantial amount of turbulence
energy is injected in the ICM due to major merger. Our simulations show that
the shock launched after a major merger develops an ellipsoidal shape and gets
broken by the interaction with the filamentary cosmic web around the merging
cluster. The size of the post-shock region along the direction of shock
propagation is about 300 kpc h^-1, and the turbulent velocity dispersion in
this region is larger than 100 km s^-1. Scaling analysis of the turbulence
energy with the cluster mass within our cluster sample is consistent with
M^(5/3), i.e. the scaling law for the thermal energy in the self-similar
cluster model. This clearly indicates the close relation between virialization
and injection of turbulence in the cluster evolution. We found that the ratio
of the turbulent to total pressure in the cluster core within 2 Gyr after the
major merger is larger than 10%, and it takes about 4 Gyr to get relaxed, which
is substantially longer than typically assumed in the turbulent re-acceleration
models, invoked to explain the statistics of observed radio halos. Striking
similarities in the morphology and other physical parameters between our
simulations and the "symmetrical radio relics" found at the periphery of the
merging cluster A3376 are finally discussed. In particular, the interaction
between the merger shock and the filaments surrounding the cluster could
explain the presence of "notch-like" features at the edges of the double
relics.Comment: 16 pages, 19 figures, Published in Astrophysical Journal (online) and
printed version will be published on 1st January, 201
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