Evidence from randomised controlled trials supports beneficial effects of total dairy products on body weight, fat and lean mass, but evidence on associations of dairy types with distributions of body fat and lean mass is limited. We aimed to investigate associations of total and different types of dairy products with markers of adiposity, and body fat and lean mass distribution. We evaluated cross-sectional data from 12,065 adults aged 30 to 65 years recruited to the Fenland study between 2005 and 2015 in Cambridgeshire UK. Diet was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. We estimated regression coefficients (or % differences) and their 95% CI using multiple linear regression models. The median (interquartile range) of milk, yoghurt, and cheese consumption were 293 (146 – 439), 35.3 (8.8 – 71.8), and 14.6 (4.8 – 26.9) g/d, respectively. Low-fat dairy consumption was inversely associated with visceral-to-subcutaneous fat ratio estimated with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry [–2.58% (–3.91, –1.23%) per serving/day]. Habitual consumption per serving/day (200 g) of milk was associated with 0.33 (0.19, 0.46) kg higher lean mass. Other associations were not significant after false discovery correction. Our findings suggest that the influence of milk consumption on lean mass and of low-fat dairy consumption on fat mass distribution may be potential pathways for the link between dairy consumption and metabolic risk. Our cross-sectional findings warrant further research in prospective and experimental studies in diverse populations.

One major challenge facing policy-makers is to design education and workplace training programs that are appropriately challenging. We review previous research that suggests that difficult training is better than easy training. However, surveys we conducted of students and of expert sport coaches showed that many prescribed easy rather than difficult training for those they coached. We analyzed the performance of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball teams in postseason tournaments to see whether the existing research, largely on individuals in short-term situations, would generalize to teams in the long run. Indeed, playing difficult nonconference (training) games modestly improved performance for NCAA teams in the postseason. Difficult training particularly benefitted teams that lost many nonconference games, and the effect of difficulty was positive within the range of difficulty NCAA teams actually encounter, making it clear that difficult training is superior. We suggest that our results can be generalized beyond sports, although with careful consideration of differences between NCAA basketball teams and other teams that may limit generalizability. These results suggest that policy-makers might consider amplifying the difficulty of team training exercises under certain conditions.

With the recent discovery of a dozen dusty star-forming galaxies and around 30 quasars at z > 5 that are hyper-luminous in the infrared (μ LIR > 1013 L⊙, where μ is a lensing magnification factor), the possibility has opened up for SPICA, the proposed ESA M5 mid-/far-infrared mission, to extend its spectroscopic studies toward the epoch of reionisation and beyond. In this paper, we examine the feasibility and scientific potential of such observations with SPICA’s far-infrared spectrometer SAFARI, which will probe a spectral range (35–230 μm) that will be unexplored by ALMA and JWST. Our simulations show that SAFARI is capable of delivering good-quality spectra for hyper-luminous infrared galaxies at z = 5 − 10, allowing us to sample spectral features in the rest-frame mid-infrared and to investigate a host of key scientific issues, such as the relative importance of star formation versus AGN, the hardness of the radiation field, the level of chemical enrichment, and the properties of the molecular gas. From a broader perspective, SAFARI offers the potential to open up a new frontier in the study of the early Universe, providing access to uniquely powerful spectral features for probing first-generation objects, such as the key cooling lines of low-metallicity or metal-free forming galaxies (fine-structure and H2 lines) and emission features of solid compounds freshly synthesised by Population III supernovae. Ultimately, SAFARI’s ability to explore the high-redshift Universe will be determined by the availability of sufficiently bright targets (whether intrinsically luminous or gravitationally lensed). With its launch expected around 2030, SPICA is ideally positioned to take full advantage of upcoming wide-field surveys such as LSST, SKA, Euclid, and WFIRST, which are likely to provide extraordinary targets for SAFARI.

Breakthrough Listen is a 10-yr initiative to search for signatures of technologies created by extraterrestrial civilisations at radio and optical wavelengths. Here, we detail the digital data recording system deployed for Breakthrough Listen observations at the 64-m aperture CSIRO Parkes Telescope in New South Wales, Australia. The recording system currently implements two modes: a dual-polarisation, 1.125-GHz bandwidth mode for single-beam observations, and a 26-input, 308-MHz bandwidth mode for the 21-cm multibeam receiver. The system is also designed to support a 3-GHz single-beam mode for the forthcoming Parkes ultra-wideband feed. In this paper, we present details of the system architecture, provide an overview of hardware and software, and present initial performance results.

Measurements in the infrared wavelength domain allow direct assessment of the physical state and energy balance of cool matter in space, enabling the detailed study of the processes that govern the formation and evolution of stars and planetary systems in galaxies over cosmic time. Previous infrared missions revealed a great deal about the obscured Universe, but were hampered by limited sensitivity.

SPICA takes the next step in infrared observational capability by combining a large 2.5-meter diameter telescope, cooled to below 8 K, with instruments employing ultra-sensitive detectors. A combination of passive cooling and mechanical coolers will be used to cool both the telescope and the instruments. With mechanical coolers the mission lifetime is not limited by the supply of cryogen. With the combination of low telescope background and instruments with state-of-the-art detectors SPICA provides a huge advance on the capabilities of previous missions.

SPICA instruments offer spectral resolving power ranging from R ~50 through 11 000 in the 17–230 μm domain and R ~28.000 spectroscopy between 12 and 18 μm. SPICA will provide efficient 30–37 μm broad band mapping, and small field spectroscopic and polarimetric imaging at 100, 200 and 350 μm. SPICA will provide infrared spectroscopy with an unprecedented sensitivity of ~5 × 10−20 W m−2 (5σ/1 h)—over two orders of magnitude improvement over what earlier missions. This exceptional performance leap, will open entirely new domains in infrared astronomy; galaxy evolution and metal production over cosmic time, dust formation and evolution from very early epochs onwards, the formation history of planetary systems.

One of the seminar topics scheduled for the summer of 1955 by the Society for American Archaeology was “The American Southwest: A Problem in Cultural Isolation.” The assignment was to “… examine the assumption that these Southwestern cultures resulted from local acceptance and development of generalized and/or specific traits which can be isolated in distant cultural contexts at earlier times than their climactic developments can be observed in the Southwest.”

Background:ATP8A2 mutations have only recently been associated with human disease. We present the clinical features from the largest cohort of patients with this disorder reported to date. Methods: An observational study of 9 unreported and 2 previously reported patients with biallelic ATP8A2 mutations was carried out at multiple centres. Results: The mean age of the cohort was 9.4 years old (range: 2.5-28 yrs). All patients demonstrated developmental delay, severe hypotonia and movement disorders: chorea/choreoathetosis (100%), dystonia (27%) or facial dyskinesia (18%). Hypotonia was apparent at birth (70%) or before 6 months old (100%). Optic atrophy was observed in 75% of patients who had a funduscopic examination. MRI of the brain was normal for most patients with a small proportion showing mild cortical atrophy (30%), delayed myelination (20%) and/or hypoplastic optic nerves (20%). Epilepsy was seen in two older patients. Conclusions:ATP8A2 gene mutations have emerged as a cause of a novel phenotype characterized by developmental delay, severe hypotonia and hyperkinetic movement disorders. Optic atrophy is common and may only become apparent in the first few years of life, necessitating repeat ophthalmologic evaluation. Early recognition of the cardinal features of this condition will facilitate diagnosis of this disorder.

High cost of healthy foods could be a barrier to healthy eating. We aimed to examine the association between dietary cost and adherence to the Mediterranean diet in a non-Mediterranean country. We evaluated cross-sectional data from 12 417 adults in the UK Fenland Study. Responses to 130-item FFQ were used to calculate a Mediterranean diet score (MDS). Dietary cost was estimated by matching food consumption data with retail prices of five major supermarkets. Using multivariable-adjusted linear regression, we examined the association of MDS and individual foods with dietary cost in absolute and relative scales. Subsequently, we assessed how much the association was explained by education, income, marital status and occupation, by conducting mediation analysis and testing interaction by these variables. High compared with low MDS (top to bottom third) was associated with marginally higher cost by 5·4 % (95 % CI 4·4, 6·4) or £0·20/d (95 % CI 0·16, 0·25). Participants with high adherence had higher cost associated with the healthier components (e.g. vegetables, fruits and fish), and lower cost associated with the unhealthy components (e.g. red meat, processed meat and sweets) (P for trend<0·001 each). In total, 20·7 % (95 % CI 14·3, 27·0) of the MDS-cost association was explained by the selected socio-economic factors, and the MDS-cost association was of greater magnitude in lower socio-economic groups (P interaction<0·005). Overall, greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with marginally higher dietary cost, partly modified and explained by socio-economic status, but the potential economic barriers of high adherence might be offset by cost saving from reducing unhealthy food consumption.

The mid-infrared range contains many spectral features associated with large molecules and dust grains such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and silicates. These are usually very strong compared to fine-structure gas lines, and thus valuable in studying the spectral properties of faint distant galaxies. In this paper, we evaluate the capability of low-resolution mid-infrared spectroscopic surveys of galaxies that could be performed by SPICA. The surveys are designed to address the question how star formation and black hole accretion activities evolved over cosmic time through spectral diagnostics of the physical conditions of the interstellar/circumnuclear media in galaxies. On the basis of results obtained with Herschel far-infrared photometric surveys of distant galaxies and Spitzer and AKARI near- to mid-infrared spectroscopic observations of nearby galaxies, we estimate the numbers of the galaxies at redshift z > 0.5, which are expected to be detected in the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon features or dust continuum by a wide (10 deg2) or deep (1 deg2) blind survey, both for a given observation time of 600 h. As by-products of the wide blind survey, we also expect to detect debris disks, through the mid-infrared excess above the photospheric emission of nearby main-sequence stars, and we estimate their number. We demonstrate that the SPICA mid-infrared surveys will efficiently provide us with unprecedentedly large spectral samples, which can be studied further in the far-infrared with SPICA.

Our current knowledge of star formation and accretion luminosity at high redshift (z > 3–4), as well as the possible connections between them, relies mostly on observations in the rest-frame ultraviolet, which are strongly affected by dust obscuration. Due to the lack of sensitivity of past and current infrared instrumentation, so far it has not been possible to get a glimpse into the early phases of the dust-obscured Universe. Among the next generation of infrared observatories, SPICA, observing in the 12–350 µm range, will be the only facility that can enable us to trace the evolution of the obscured star-formation rate and black-hole accretion rate densities over cosmic time, from the peak of their activity back to the reionisation epoch (i.e., 3 < z ≲ 6–7), where its predecessors had severe limitations. Here, we discuss the potential of photometric surveys performed with the SPICA mid-infrared instrument, enabled by the very low level of impact of dust obscuration in a band centred at 34 µm. These unique unbiased photometric surveys that SPICA will perform will fully characterise the evolution of AGNs and star-forming galaxies after reionisation.

We have adopted a detailed map in the CO J = 3-2 line of the M17 molecular cloud complex covering an area of about 60 square arc minutes. As well as the M17SW cloud core, the map covers the areas containing both ionization bars, and their surrounding molecular clouds. A complex dynamical picture will be presented, with evidence for fragmentation of the complex into a number of discrete clouds, as well as indications of wide-spread interaction between the ionization bars and the CO gas. The morphology revealed by the CO maps will be discussed in connection with the distributions of IR, radio and optical emission, and the overall dynamics of the whole M17 region.

We report on extensive submillimetre wavelength observations in the CO J = 3-2 and 4-3 lines towards a sample of star formation regions. The observations have been obtained using the Queen Mary College Submillimetre Heterodyne Receiver at the UKIRT 3.8 m telescope. The data include observations and maps of NGC 2024, S88, W3, S140, CRL2591, NGC 2264, K3-50, G35.2-0.74, ρ Oph A, M17, W51, S68, S106, NGC 1333, DR21 and W49. Several new bipolar flow sources have been detected in NGC 2024, S88 and NGC 2264. Comparisons between the spectra in the CO J = 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3 transitions will be discussed in terms of their excitation, in particular for the gas in the high velocity line wings, where we have attempted to estimate the densities and relative abundances of the flow material.

We report on the first submillimetre wavelength spectral scan of the Orion A molecular cloud in the frequency range 342-463 GHz (0.88-0.65 mm) using the Queen Mary College Submillimetre Heterodyne Receiver at UKIRT. Twenty-eight molecular transitions were detected, the majority of these for the first time. The lines include transitions of CO, CS, HCN, HCO+, H2CO, H2CS, SO, SO2, CCH, SiO and CH3OH. Upper limits are reported for a number of lines including CO+ and the ground state transition of NH2. A number of the lines are surprisingly intense, and we will present maps of the relative distributions of HCO+, HCN, H2CO and CCH, which show striking differences in their spatial structures. We will present details of the excitation of a number of the lines based on the results from this survey.

Ray tracing techniques have been used to investigate numerical effects on the propagation of acoustic waves in a non-hydrostatic dynamical core discretised using an Arakawa C-grid horizontal staggering of variables (Arakawa & Lamb 1977) and a Charney-Phillips vertical staggering of variables (Charney & Phillips 1953) with a semi-implicit timestepping scheme. It is found that the space discretisation places limits on resolvable wavenumbers and redirects the group velocity of waves towards the vertical. Wave amplitudes grow exponentially with height due to the decrease in the background density, which can cause instabilities in whole-atmosphere models. However, the inclusion of molecular viscosity and diffusion acts to damp the exponential growth of waves above about 150 km. This study aims to demonstrate the extent to which numerical wave propagation causes instabilities at high altitudes in atmosphere models, and how processes that damp the waves can improve these model’s stability.

Precision agriculture technologies have been adopted individually and in bundles. A sample of 348 Kansas Farm Management Association farm-level observations provides insight into technology adoption patterns of precision agriculture technologies. Estimated transition probabilities shed light on how adoption paths lead to bundling of technologies. Three information intensive technologies were assigned to one of eight possible bundles, and the sequence of adoption was examined using Markov transition processes. The probability that farms remain with the same bundle or transition to a different bundle by the next time period are reported. Farms with the complete bundle of all three technologies were likely to persist with their current technology.