A secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial to investigate the effect of Tai Chi on the instrumented Timed Up and Go test in people with mild to moderate dementia

Background Previous research has identified that Tai Chi is effective for reducing risk of falls and improving Timed-Up and Go scores. However, our previous research identified no-significant difference in time to complete the Timed-Up and Go test following a Tai Chi intervention in people with dementia. Aim To conduct a secondary analysis to extend our understanding of the effect of Tai Chi on the instrumented Timed-Up and Go test. Methods Secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial set in the community. People with dementia, recruited from NHS databases, memory clinics, local charities and self-referral across the south of England, received either 20 weeks of Tai Chi plus normal care or normal care. Outcomes were assessed using the instrumented timed-up and go test, completed at baseline and after 6 months. Results From 83 people with dementia volunteering for the study 67 complete datasets were available for analysis. Within group pairwise comparison across time revealed no-significant gains for any of the instrumented Timed-Up and Go variables, and no-significant difference for between group pairwise comparisons. Discussion This suggests Tai Chi had no effect on the instrumented Timed-Up and Go in people with dementia. This lack of effect may be due to the lack of specificity of the training stimulus to the outcome measure. Conclusion Tai Chi had no effect on any instrumented Timed-Up and Go variables, suggesting Tai Chi may not be best placed to enhance the sub-elements of the instrumented Timed-Up and Go to reduce fall risk among community-dwelling people with dementia

The Incorporation of Scientific Discourse in Yamamura Bochō's "Prismist" Poetry (1914-1916)

Yamamura Bochō (1884-1924) is mainly remembered as the author of "Seisanryōhari" (The Sacred Prism, 1915), a collection of "shi" (modern poetry in non-traditional forms) that represents the culmination of his experiments in diction and imagery. One of the most striking elements of his ‘prismist’ poetry is the presence of scientific language, coming from the domains of geology, botany, biology, and medicine. In this paper, I adopt a historical and textual perspective to attempt an analysis of the incorporation of scientific discourse in Bochō’s poetry. Particular emphasis is placed on the European and Japanese debate on the ‘new science’ and on the similarities to the treatment of this topic by Bochō and the discourses of the historical European avant-garde (especially Italian Futurism)

FR900482, a close cousin of mitomycin C that exploits mitosene-based DNA cross-linking

AbstractBackground: The class of antitumor antibiotics that includes FR900482 has a very close structural analogy to the mitomycins, one of which, mitomycin C, has been in widespread clinical use for more than 20 years. Like mitomycin C, these antitumor antibiotics are reductively activated in vivo and covalently cross-link DNA as a result of activity of the mitosene moiety generated on reduction. Owing to differences in structure and the attendant mechanistic differences in bioreductive activation between the mitomycins and FR900482, FR900482 does not produce an adventitious superoxide radical anion during reductive activation and thus does not exhibit oxidative strand scission of DNA. It is postulated that the low clinical toxicity of FR900482 relative to mitomycin C is a direct manifestation of the mechanistic differences of bioreductive activation leading to the highly reactive DNA cross-linking mitosenes.Results: Using Fe(II)-EDTA footprinting, we showed that the two natural products FR900482 (1) and dihydro, FR66979 (3), and the semi-synthetically derived triacetate FK973 (2), display remarkable selectivity for 5′ deoxy-CG sequences of DNA, and that this selectivity is abolished upon deletion of the exocyclic N2 amine of either participating guanosine residue. In addition, we investigated the mono alkylation abilities of FR66979 with respect to a number of inosine-substituted oligonuclectides and observed that the FR900482 class of compounds were able to give rise to easily separable orientation isomers of their respective cross-links.Conclusions: The FR900482 class of antitumor antibiotics cross-link DNA in a fashion analogous to the mitomycins. The cross-linking reaction yields two orientation, isomers which are of vastly different electrophoretic mobility and which also exhibit radically different DNA-protein recognition properties upon reaction with Alul restriction endonuclease. In addition, mono-alkylation of DNA by FR66979 shows little, if any, dependence upon pre-covalent interactions deemed necessary for the mitomycins. These insights support the proposal that the FR900482 class of compounds represents a compelling clinical replacement for mitomycin C, given its greatly reduced host toxicity and superior DNA interstrand cross-linking efficacy

ALMA Observations of Asymmetric Molecular Gas Emission from a Protoplanetary Disk in the Orion Nebula

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of molecular line emission from d216-0939, one of the largest and most massive protoplanetary disks in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We model the spectrally resolved HCO$^+$ (4--3), CO (3--2), and HCN (4--3) lines observed at 0\farcs5 resolution to fit the temperature and density structure of the disk. We also weakly detect and spectrally resolve the CS (7--6) line but do not model it. The abundances we derive for CO and HCO$^+$ are generally consistent with expected values from chemical modeling of protoplanetary disks, while the HCN abundance is higher than expected. We dynamically measure the mass of the central star to be $2.17\pm0.07\,M_\odot$ which is inconsistent with the previously determined spectral type of K5. We also report the detection of a spatially unresolved high-velocity blue-shifted excess emission feature with a measurable positional offset from the central star, consistent with a Keplerian orbit at $60\pm20\,\mathrm{au}$. Using the integrated flux of the feature in HCO$^+$ (4--3), we estimate the total H$_2$ gas mass of this feature to be at least $1.8-8\,M_\mathrm{Jupiter}$, depending on the assumed temperature. The feature is due to a local temperature and/or density enhancement consistent with either a hydrodynamic vortex or the expected signature of the envelope of a forming protoplanet within the disk.Comment: 19 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A

Stock Assessment of Queensland East Coast black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus), Australia, with data to December 2021

Black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus) are caught on the east coast of Queensland by commercial, recreational, charter and Indigenous fishers. The fishery is focused around Central Queensland, and has recently experienced a large shift in commercial effort and gear types. The species was historically considered a byproduct species within the inshore net fishery, but has now become a targeted line caught species. In Australia, black jewfish are found from Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia, north and east across Northern Australia, to the east coast of Queensland. Research suggests that stocks cover hundreds of kilometres. This is the first stock assessment of the Queensland East Coast stock. The stock assessment was conducted on calendar years and included input data through to December 2021. Eight model scenarios were run, covering different combinations of recreational dead catch and population steepness (productivity parameter). Base case (preferred) scenario results suggested that biomass declined gradually from the 1940s to the 1980s and has increased slightly since then. The spawning stock level at the beginning of 2022 for base-case scenarios was estimated to be between 56% and 99% with a median estimate of 79%. The estimates from other scenarios ranged from 80% to 92%. Despite high uncertainty around the exact level of biomass, the model outputs indicate that the biomass is probably at or above the target reference point of 60% unfished biomass

Canonical Generations and the British Left: The Narrative Construction of the Miners’ Strike 1984–85

‘Generations’ have been invoked to describe a variety of social and cultural relationships, and to understand the development of self-conscious group identity. Equally, the term can be an applied label and politically useful construct; generations can be retrospectively produced. Drawing on the concept of ‘canonical generations’ – those whose experiences come to epitomise an event of historic and symbolic importance – this article examines the narrative creation and functions of ‘generations’ as collective memory shapes and re-shapes the desire for social change. Building a case study of the canonical role of the miners’ strike of 1984–85 in the narrative history of the British left, it examines the selective appropriation and transmission of the past in the development of political consciousness. It foregrounds the autobiographical narratives of activists who, in examining and legitimising their own actions and prospects, (re)produce a ‘generation’ in order to create a relatable and useful historical understanding

Impact of Hydration Status on Jump Performance in Recreationally Trained Males

International Journal of Exercise Science 13(4): 826-836, 2020. The vertical jump is commonly used as a means of evaluating athlete readiness. Athletes have been shown to arrive to training and competition in a hypohydrated state. Thus, this investigation sought to examine the impact of hydration status on both countermovement (CMJ) and squat jump (SJ) performance. Twenty-five recreationally trained males completed three CMJ and SJ in a euhydrated, hypohydrated and control condition. Conditions were separated by a minimum of 24 hours. Hydration status was assessed using urine specific gravity. Jump performance was evaluated using both kinematic and kinetic data obtained from a force platform. A repeated-measures ANOVA was performed for each variable of interest in both the CMJ and SJ. CMJ peak and mean force values were significantly greater in the euhydrated condition compared to the hypohydrated condition (p \u3c 0.05), with no differences between the control condition and either experimental condition. SJ showed reductions in jump height, peak and mean velocity, peak and mean power and impulse from control and euhydrated conditions (p \u3c 0.05). The findings of this investigation show that when performing jump testing, specifically SJ, that hydration status of the individual may impact commonly used variables to assess the readiness of the individual for a given day

UK science press officers, professional vision and the generation of expectations

Science press officers can play an integral role in helping promote expectations and hype about biomedical research. Using this as a starting point, this article draws on interviews with 10 UK-based science press officers, which explored how they view their role as science reporters and as generators of expectations. Using Goodwin’s notion of ‘professional vision’, we argue that science press officers have a specific professional vision that shapes how they produce biomedical press releases, engage in promotion of biomedical research and make sense of hype. We discuss how these insights can contribute to the sociology of expectations, as well as inform responsible science communication.This project was funded by the Wellcome Trust (Wellcome Trust Biomedical Strategic Award 086034)