Searching for VHE gamma-ray emission associated with IceCube neutrino alerts using FACT, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS

The realtime follow-up of neutrino events is a promising approach to search for astrophysical neutrino sources. It has so far provided compelling evidence for a neutrino point source: the flaring gamma-ray blazar TXS 0506+056 was observed in coincidence with the high-energy neutrino IceCube-170922A detected by IceCube. The detection of very-high-energy gamma rays (VHE, E > 100 GeV) from this source helped establish the coincidence and constrained the modeling of the blazar emission at the time of the IceCube event. The four major imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope arrays (IACTs) - FACT, H.E.S.S., MAGIC, and VERITAS - operate an active follow-up program of target-of-opportunity observations of neutrino alerts sent by IceCube. This program has two main components. One are the observations of known gamma-ray sources around which a cluster of candidate neutrino events has been identified by IceCube (Gamma-ray Follow-Up, GFU). The second one is the follow-up of single high-energy neutrino candidate events of potential astrophysical origin such as IceCube-170922A. GFU has been recently upgraded by IceCube in collaboration with the IACT groups. We present here recent results from the IACT follow-up programs of IceCube neutrino alerts and a description of the upgraded IceCube GFU system

Palliatiivisen hoidon opettajien osaamisen vahvistaminen

Tiivistelmä Sosiaali- ja terveysalan opettajilla tulee olla riittävä osaaminen palliatiivisesta hoidosta. Osaamisen päivittäminen opetussuunnitelma- ja kansainvälisten suositusten mukaiseksi on ajankohtaista. Näin taataan koulutuksessa oleville opiskelijoille riittävä osaaminen toimia palliatiivisen potilaan ja hänen läheisensä tukena sairauden eri vaiheissa. EduPal-hankkeessa palliatiivisen hoidon opettajille suunniteltiin viiden opintopisteen laajuinen verkkokurssi, jonka tavoitteena on vahvistaa opettajien osaamista palliatiivista hoidosta sekä pedagogista osaamista.Abstract Strenghtening competencies of palliative care teachers Teachers of future healthcare professionals should have adequate expertise in palliative care, and they should update their expertise in accordance with curriculum- and international recommendations. In this way, students in education are guaranteed sufficient skills to act as support for the palliative patient and their loved ones at different stages of the disease. A fivecredit online course for palliative care teachers was designed to strengthen the teachers’ competence in palliative care and pedagogical competence

Liminal consumption of “the cosmic ballet”: an autoethnography

This study explores the consumption of dance during the identity transition of a homosexual man as a means of appreciating the role of dance in identity management. The account explicates how consumption of a transcendental and paradoxical form of dance called Tandava, or “the cosmic ballet,” empowers an individual to deal with his homosexual identity issues at key liminal junctures. Specifically, the study explores how the homosexual body mobilizes the movements and symbolism in the dance to negotiate identity issues. The study employs the first author’s lived experiences as the research material and depicts his Tandava against the backdrop of his “moments of marginalization.” In particular, autoethnographic writing is fused with the first author’s dance performance to serve as a method of inquiry into his homosexual identity formation. The study shows how dance facilitated the first author’s identity transition from a state of confusion to acceptance. In so doing the study contributes both to the literature on homosexual identity formation and on dance in consumer research

International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine

Abstract Creatine is one of the most popular nutritional ergogenic aids for athletes. Studies have consistently shown that creatine supplementation increases intramuscular creatine concentrations which may help explain the observed improvements in high intensity exercise performance leading to greater training adaptations. In addition to athletic and exercise improvement, research has shown that creatine supplementation may enhance post-exercise recovery, injury prevention, thermoregulation, rehabilitation, and concussion and/or spinal cord neuroprotection. Additionally, a number of clinical applications of creatine supplementation have been studied involving neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s disease), diabetes, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, aging, brain and heart ischemia, adolescent depression, and pregnancy. These studies provide a large body of evidence that creatine can not only improve exercise performance, but can play a role in preventing and/or reducing the severity of injury, enhancing rehabilitation from injuries, and helping athletes tolerate heavy training loads. Additionally, researchers have identified a number of potentially beneficial clinical uses of creatine supplementation. These studies show that short and long-term supplementation (up to 30 g/day for 5 years) is safe and well-tolerated in healthy individuals and in a number of patient populations ranging from infants to the elderly. Moreover, significant health benefits may be provided by ensuring habitual low dietary creatine ingestion (e.g., 3 g/day) throughout the lifespan. The purpose of this review is to provide an update to the current literature regarding the role and safety of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine and to update the position stand of International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN)