181 research outputs found
Are they ‘worth their weight in gold’? Sport for older adults: benefits and barriers of their participation for sporting organisations
The ageing global population has led to an increased focus on health for older adults. However, older adults have not been a specific priority for some sporting organisations (SOs). Thus, there is an emerging opportunity for this age group to be considered within international sport policy. The aim of this study was to understand the benefits and barriers that SOs encounter when engaging older adults. Eight focus group interviews (n = 49) were held with representatives of Australian national sporting organisations (NSOs), and older adults who were either sport club or non-sport club members. The socioecological model domains, interpersonal, organisational and policy, were used as a framework for thematic analysis, and organisational capacity building concepts were utilised to explain the findings. Common perceived benefits included interpersonal benefits (intergenerational opportunities and role models) and organisational benefits (volunteering, financial contributions and maximised facility usage) for engaging older adults. Common perceived barriers included interpersonal barriers (competing priorities and perceived societal expectations), organisational barriers (lack of appropriate playing opportunities, lack of facility access and lack of club capacity) and policy barriers (strategic organisational focus on children and elite sport and risk management). Whilst participation in sport is not common for older adults, their involvement can be invaluable for sport clubs. It is not anticipated that any policy focus on older adults will significantly increase active participation for this age group. However, any increase in older adults’ sport participation either through actively playing, supporting family and friends and/or volunteering will contribute to the positive health of individuals, sport clubs and the community.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
Fermi 130 GeV gamma-ray excess and dark matter annihilation in sub-haloes and in the Galactic centre
We analyze publicly available Fermi-LAT high-energy gamma-ray data and
confirm the existence of clear spectral feature peaked at E=130GeV. Scanning
over the Galaxy we identify several disconnected regions where the observed
excess originates from. Our best optimized fit is obtained for the central
region of Galaxy with a clear peak at 130GeV with local statistical
significance 4.5 sigma. The observed excess is not correlated with Fermi
bubbles. We compute the photon spectra induced by dark matter annihilations
into two and four standard model particles, the latter via two light
intermediate states, and fit the spectra with data. Since our fits indicate
sharper and higher signal peak than in the previous works, data favors dark
matter direct two-body annihilation channels into photons or other channels
giving only line-like spectra. If Einasto halo profile correctly predicts the
central cusp of Galaxy, dark matter annihilation cross-section to two photons
is of order ten percent of the standard thermal freeze-out cross-section. The
large dark matter two-body annihilation cross-section to photons may signal a
new resonance that should be searched for at the CERN LHC experiments.Comment: Addendum included on the double peak structure of the excess seen due
to new improved Fermi-LAT energy resolutio
Direct Measurement of the Pseudoscalar Decay Constant fD+
The absolute branching fraction of has been directly
measured by an analysis of a data sample of about 33 collected
around GeV with the BES-II at the BEPC. At these energies,
meson is produced in pair as . A total of mesons are reconstructed from this data set. In the
recoil side of the tagged mesons, purely leptonic decay
events of are observed. This yields a branching fraction of
, and a
corresponding pseudoscalar decay constant
MeV.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, Submitted to Physics Letters B in October, 200
Simulation techniques for cosmological simulations
Modern cosmological observations allow us to study in great detail the
evolution and history of the large scale structure hierarchy. The fundamental
problem of accurate constraints on the cosmological parameters, within a given
cosmological model, requires precise modelling of the observed structure. In
this paper we briefly review the current most effective techniques of large
scale structure simulations, emphasising both their advantages and
shortcomings. Starting with basics of the direct N-body simulations appropriate
to modelling cold dark matter evolution, we then discuss the direct-sum
technique GRAPE, particle-mesh (PM) and hybrid methods, combining the PM and
the tree algorithms. Simulations of baryonic matter in the Universe often use
hydrodynamic codes based on both particle methods that discretise mass, and
grid-based methods. We briefly describe Eulerian grid methods, and also some
variants of Lagrangian smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) methods.Comment: 42 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Space Science
Reviews, special issue "Clusters of galaxies: beyond the thermal view",
Editor J.S. Kaastra, Chapter 12; work done by an international team at the
International Space Science Institute (ISSI), Bern, organised by J.S.
Kaastra, A.M. Bykov, S. Schindler & J.A.M. Bleeke
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance for public health action
Wastewater surveillance for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has garnered extensive public attention during the coronavirus disease pandemic as a proposed complement to existing disease surveillance systems. Over the past year, methods for detection and quantifi cation of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA in untreated sewage have advanced, and concentrations in wastewater have been shown to correlate with trends in reported cases. Despite the promise of wastewater surveillance, for these measurements to translate into useful public health tools, bridging the communication and knowledge gaps between researchers and public health responders is needed. We describe the key uses, barriers, and applicability of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater surveillance for supporting public health decisions and actions, including establishing ethics consideration for monitoring. Although wastewater surveillance to assess community infections is not a new idea, the coronavirus disease pandemic might be the initiating event to make this emerging public health tool a sustainable nationwide surveillance system, provided that these barriers are addressed
Development and potential role of type-2 sodium-glucose transporter inhibitors for management of type 2 diabetes
There is a recognized need for new treatment options for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Recovery of glucose from the glomerular filtrate represents an important mechanism in maintaining glucose homeostasis and represents a novel target for the management of T2DM. Recovery of glucose from the glomerular filtrate is executed principally by the type 2 sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT2). Inhibition of SGLT2 promotes glucose excretion and normalizes glycemia in animal models. First reports of specifically designed SGLT2 inhibitors began to appear in the second half of the 1990s. Several candidate SGLT2 inhibitors are currently under development, with four in the later stages of clinical testing. The safety profile of SGLT2 inhibitors is expected to be good, as their target is a highly specific membrane transporter expressed almost exclusively within the renal tubules. One safety concern is that of glycosuria, which could predispose patients to increased urinary tract infections. So far the reported safety profile of SGLT2 inhibitors in clinical studies appears to confirm that the class is well tolerated. Where SGLT2 inhibitors will fit in the current cascade of treatments for T2DM has yet to be established. The expected favorable safety profile and insulin-independent mechanism of action appear to support their use in combination with other antidiabetic drugs. Promotion of glucose excretion introduces the opportunity to clear calories (80–90 g [300–400 calories] of glucose per day) in patients that are generally overweight, and is expected to work synergistically with weight reduction programs. Experience will most likely lead to better understanding of which patients are likely to respond best to SGLT2 inhibitors, and under what circumstances
Genome-wide association study identifies two susceptibility loci for osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is the most common primary bone malignancy of adolescents and young adults. To better understand the genetic etiology of osteosarcoma, we performed a multistage genome-wide association study consisting of 941 individuals with osteosarcoma (cases) and 3,291 cancer-free adult controls of European ancestry. Two loci achieved genome-wide significance: a locus in the GRM4 gene at 6p21.3 (encoding glutamate receptor metabotropic 4; rs1906953; P = 8.1 × 10⁻⁹) and a locus in the gene desert at 2p25.2 (rs7591996 and rs10208273; P = 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ and 2.9 × 10⁻⁷, respectively). These two loci warrant further exploration to uncover the biological mechanisms underlying susceptibility to osteosarcoma
Female chromosome X mosaicism is age-related and preferentially affects the inactivated X chromosome
To investigate large structural clonal mosaicism of chromosome X, we analysed the SNP
microarray intensity data of 38,303 women from cancer genome-wide association studies
(20,878 cases and 17,425 controls) and detected 124 mosaic X events42Mb in 97 (0.25%)
women. Here we show rates for X-chromosome mosaicism are four times higher than mean
autosomal rates; X mosaic events more often include the entire chromosome and participants
with X events more likely harbour autosomal mosaic events. X mosaicism frequency
increases with age (0.11% in 50-year olds; 0.45% in 75-year olds), as reported for Y and
autosomes. Methylation array analyses of 33 women with X mosaicism indicate events
preferentially involve the inactive X chromosome. Our results provide further evidence that
the sex chromosomes undergo mosaic events more frequently than autosomes, which could
have implications for understanding the underlying mechanisms of mosaic events and their
possible contribution to risk for chronic diseases
Detectable clonal mosaicism and its relationship to aging and cancer
In an analysis of 31,717 cancer cases and 26,136 cancer-free controls from 13 genome-wide association studies, we observed large chromosomal abnormalities in a subset of clones in DNA obtained from blood or buccal samples. We observed mosaic abnormalities, either aneuploidy or copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity, of >2 Mb in size in autosomes of 517 individuals (0.89%), with abnormal cell proportions of between 7% and 95%. In cancer-free individuals, frequency increased with age, from 0.23% under 50 years to 1.91% between 75 and 79 years (P = 4.8 × 10(-8)). Mosaic abnormalities were more frequent in individuals with solid tumors (0.97% versus 0.74% in cancer-free individuals; odds ratio (OR) = 1.25; P = 0.016), with stronger association with cases who had DNA collected before diagnosis or treatment (OR = 1.45; P = 0.0005). Detectable mosaicism was also more common in individuals for whom DNA was collected at least 1 year before diagnosis with leukemia compared to cancer-free individuals (OR = 35.4; P = 3.8 × 10(-11)). These findings underscore the time-dependent nature of somatic events in the etiology of cancer and potentially other late-onset diseases
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