Latest news with #Universityof
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alberta's measles case counts have topped 500 and doctors are worried
It has taken Alberta less than three months to top 500 measles cases sparking concern about the speed at which the virus is spreading and fears it could lead to the death of a child. By midday Wednesday, the province's total case count had surged to 505, more than doubling since the beginning of May. Alberta's outbreaks began in March. Dr. Sidd Thakore, a pediatrician at Alberta Children's Hospital, said some of the sickest kids from the south and central zones are at his hospital in Calgary for treatment. "100 per cent. We are seeing it now," he said. "There's some severe outcomes whether it's severe pneumonia or more severe issues with … inflammation of the brain. I've seen it myself, several times now in hospital." According to Thakore, some of these children are ending up in intensive care. The south zone is by far the hardest hit with 362 measles cases to date. The central zone has had 92 cases. Alberta Health confirmed on Tuesday one Albertan under the age of 18 was in ICU at that time. According to Thakore, it's difficult for parents and health care providers to watch children suffer from a vaccine-preventable illness. "You see the emotional toll it takes on the family and the psychological toll it takes on the family." Like most health care providers, he had never treated measles prior to this year's outbreaks. It was declared eliminated in Canada in 1998. Dr. Stephanie Smith, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital, is not surprised Alberta's outbreaks have snowballed to 500 cases, given that the virus is so highly contagious. And she's worried about the potential for children to die as the outbreaks grow. "Statistically, the more cases we have the more likelihood that we will end up seeing a child that dies of measles," she said. A toddler died of measles in Ontario last year. And Texas, which has the worst outbreak in the United States, has reported two children have died due to measles this year. Both of them were unvaccinated, according to the state's health department. The Alberta government'smeasles website states between one and three in every 1,000 people infected with measles will die. Publicly available data shows 35 Albertans had been hospitalized due to measles as of May 10. "It's heartbreaking and terrible to see children with severe brain inflammation, severe liver inflammation ... or severe pneumonia … when many of those could have been prevented," Smith said. "The message is really quite simple: please, please, please get your children vaccinated if you haven't already." Two doses of the vaccine offer 97- to 98-per cent protection, she said. The vast majority of Alberta's cases have been among the unimmunized, provincial data shows. Alberta's routine childhood immunization schedule recommends children receive their first dose of the measles vaccine at 12 months of age and the second at 18 months. However, babies as young as six months old, who are living in the south, central and north zones, are being offered an early and extra dose due to the level of risk. Meanwhile, Smith believes there are likely more cases in the community that haven't been tested or confirmed. "It does not appear that we've hit our peak yet. And so I think we'll continue to see this increase in numbers of cases in these communities where there's very low vaccination rates," she said. Measles symptoms include: High fever. Cough. Runny nose. Red eyes. Blotchy, red rash that appears three to seven days after the fever starts. In darker skin colours, it may appear purple or darker than surrounding skin. Alberta Health provides detailed information on measles case counts, symptoms and free immunizationshere. A list of possible exposure alerts can be foundhere and a measles hotline is available for people with questions about symptoms, immunization records or to book an appointment: 1-844-944-3434
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Independence hero assassin's calligraphy breaking auction records in Seoul
Calligraphy by a South Korean independence hero, created while awaiting execution for assassinating a Japanese statesman, is breaking new auction records in Seoul, as the country's ultra-rich seek to bring historic artwork home. Revered in the South for his efforts to defend the country against Japanese encroachment, Ahn Jung-geun is best known for his dramatic, high-stakes assassination of Japan's first prime minister, Ito Hirobumi, in 1909 at a railway station in Harbin. He was hanged for the killing by Japanese authorities in 1910, just months before Tokyo formally annexed the Korean peninsula, ushering in a brutal period of occupation that lasted until the end of the Second World War. Now, more than a century after his death, the calligraphy Ahn created in his prison cell during his final days -- typically at the request of Japanese officials -- is drawing fresh attention in Seoul's glitzy art scene. In South Korea, Ahn's life has long inspired artists across generations, giving rise to a highly celebrated musical, multiple novels, and films -- including one starring "Crash Landing on You" actor Hyun Bin. Ahn was held in his prison cell in China for about 40 days leading up to his execution and he kept himself busy writing an autobiography and making hundreds of calligraphy pieces, including one requested by his own prison guard. "The court and prison officials, saying they wanted to keep my calligraphy as a memento, brought me hundreds of sheets of silk and paper and asked me to create for them," Ahn wrote in his autobiography. "I ended up spending several hours each day doing calligraphy, even though I wasn't particularly skilled in it." Even though Ahn had assassinated their top official Ito, the Japanese who took his calligraphy preserved them with care, and some of their descendants have donated them to the South Korean government, which subsequently designated them as national treasures. Now, more of the calligraphies are surfacing in the private art market, with the latest being auctioned last month in Seoul for 940 million won (US$674,098) -- more than three times its opening bid. The piece, which says "green bamboo" -- a traditional symbol of integrity -- had been owned by a Japanese individual who did not wish to be identified, and they had done an impeccable job preserving it, said Kim Jun-seon, art valuation specialist at Seoul Auction. "It wasn't even mounted and was still rolled up, but when we opened the case, the scent of ink still lingered in the air," she told AFP. - 'Terrorist' - Japan said Ahn was a criminal and terrorist and refused to hand over his remains. They have never been located. Moves to honour Ahn by Seoul and Beijing have previously strained ties with Tokyo, even briefly sparking a diplomatic row in 2013. The fact that his Japanese captors preserved his calligraphy "reflects the cultural and political contradictions of early twentieth-century East Asia," said Eugene Y. Park, a history professor at University of Nevada, Reno. At his trial, Ahn identified himself as a soldier for Korea, defined his assassination of Ito as a military operation, and envisioned a united East Asia -- comprising Korea, China, and Japan -- somewhat akin to today's European Union. "Some Japanese may have seen him as a misguided but principled idealist," Park told AFP. His calligraphy, which focused on values such as peace and ethics, "resonated culturally, even if he opposed them politically," he said. "At a time when Japan's own imperial identity was unsettled, preserving his works revealed deeper tensions between respect for moral courage and the pursuit of colonial domination." - Go in peace - In 2023, the Global Sae-A Group, a South Korean conglomerate, purchased one of Ahn's calligraphies for a record-breaking 1.95 billion won. The piece "Green Bamboo" was sold at auction last month to the family of South Korea's LS Group. "We expressed our intention to bring the piece back to Korea and share it with the public," Joung Tae-hee at Seoul Auction said, adding that the Japanese owner agreed to sell after hearing their proposal. Lee Sang-hyun, of the LS Group family, told AFP that his mother "hopes many citizens will be able to see this piece and that it will also be studied," and they are considering donating it to a national institution. Ahn became a catholic as a teenager and ends his autobiography with the words of Nicolas Joseph Marie Wilhelm, a French priest and missionary stationed in Korea, who travelled to his prison to see the activist and give him confession. The priest -- who had also baptised Ahn and was a long-time friend -- was disciplined for his trip, and was later forced to return to France. "The gracious lord will never abandon you," Wilhelm told Ahn. "He will surely take you in, so rest your heart and go in peace." cdl/ceb/tc
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Having matcha tea improves sleep as you age? Here's what a study from Japan found
Matcha tea is a finely ground powder made from specially grown and processed green tea leaves. It was earlier popular in Japan but is now enjoyed worldwide because of its health benefits. A study published in PLOS ONE has given an insight into matcha green tea's effects on cognitive decline in older adults and revealed some promising results. Here's what was found. Also read | Want to 'shrink waistline'? Doctor advises drinking matcha to lose an inch of your belly The yearlong study of older adults with cognitive decline in Japan found that drinking matcha green tea improved participants' emotional perception and sleep quality. The study included Japanese older adults between 60 and 85 years of age. Matcha is rich in antioxidants, particularly catechins, which are believed to help neutralise harmful free radicals and may contribute to overall health. Study author Kazuhiko Uchida and his colleagues set out to examine the effects of matcha capsules, a dietary supplement, on cognitive functioning and sleep quality in older individuals with subjective or mild cognitive decline. The results showed that matcha supplementation improved participants' emotional perception, as measured by tests requiring the identification of facial emotions. Having matcha green tea also showed a trend toward improving sleep quality, although the results were not dramatic. However, matcha consumption did not significantly affect overall cognitive functioning or daily living abilities in the study participants. Participants were recruited from the University of Tsukuba Hospital and the Memory Clinic Toride, both in Japan. To be eligible, participants had to live with a partner who could help manage supplement intake and accompany them to appointments. They also had to have either subjective cognitive decline or mild cognitive impairment, have no serious illnesses in the past five years, and not be diagnosed with dementia or taking dementia treatments. The study included 64 participants with subjective cognitive decline and 35 with mild cognitive impairment. Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
The Irish Sun
22-04-2025
- Climate
- The Irish Sun
‘Double disaster' warning as Ireland ‘very lucky' to miss devastating floods amid stark ‘more extreme weather' alert
PARTS of Ireland could have been completely devastated by flooding if the record breaking Storm Eowyn had hit just one week earlier, new research has shown. The January storm 3 Storm surge research team, Dr Niall Madden, Dr Indiana Olbert and Alexander Shchepetkin Credit: Aengus McMahon/University of Galway/PA 3 A roof that blew off and destroyed a house, in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn, on Lettermullan Island Credit: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne Researchers at the University of Galway have been studying the During the storm on 24 January, The The study from the University of READ MORE IRISH NEWS However, the research team claim that if the storm had hit just one week earlier during the high water spring tide – parts of Galway, The data shows that the storm surge in Galway Port would have reached 4.96 metres, Limerick Dock would be rocked with waves of 5.85 metres and Shannon Airport hit with 5.43 waves. Dr Niall Madden of the University of Galway said parts of Ireland could have been hit by "double disaster" if the storm hit hours earlier. He said: 'In spite of how devastating MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN 'The worst of the storm surge coincided with a low and ebbing tide. 'Worse than Christmas', cries as shop shelves CLEARED OUT amid Storm Eowyn "Had it hit just a few hours earlier, on a full or flooding tide, Galway could have been dealing with a double disaster of record high winds and record high flooding.' Dr Indiana Olbert, School of Engineering at University of Galway's College of Science and Engineering, warned of future risks. Dr Olbert said: 'Extensive research suggest that flooding has increased in frequency and severity in recent decades around the world and this is attributed to climate change. "Our analysis of the drivers of flooding in Ireland show that the anthropogenic climate change – that's the changes related to human activity - will drive more extreme rainfall and generate more intense flooding. DISASTER NARROWLY AVOIDED "Such changes are likely to continue with further warming. "In future we will witness 'Our analysis also shows that a rise in mean sea level rise will significantly increase the risk of coastal flooding in the future. "The data we have recovered from the hours around Storm Éowyn shows just how narrowly tens of thousands of people avoided tidal inundation and threats to cities, towns and coastal communities. "It is hard to imagine how narrowly we avoided unprecedented storm surge flooding and an inundation, in particular in towns and cities." 3 Waves crash onto the shore in Bantry Bay, on the south-west coast of Ireland on the morning of January 24, 2025 Credit: Getty Images
BBC News
10-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Cyber firm expands at University of Wolverhampton base
A global tech firm has expanded its manufacturing and testing site at the University of Wolverhampton Science Park after doubling its workforce to meet a rise in demand for its said its anti-hacking work has led to it work with Nato, the Ministry of Defence and other organisations responsible for "critical national infrastructure".The firm said it expected to increase its team to 32 employees by the end of 2025 and create 44 new jobs by 2027."We warmly welcome Goldilock's commitment to growing its pioneering cyber security business in the West Midlands," said Sharon Thompson, deputy mayor of the West Midlands. The firm said it had chosen to invest in the Wolverhampton site as it was "scaling up" from research and development (R&D) of its Firebreak programme to large-scale manufacturing. Firebreak is designed to ringfence networks away from the internet to make them inaccessible to hackers, the firm Kines, co-founder and chief operating officer of Goldilock said he was thrilled to be expanding."With sophisticated ransomware and AI-powered attacks on a continuous rise, paired with the increasing interconnectedness of systems, Goldilock's technology provides a critical, foundational layer of defence. "The West Midlands offers us an invaluable hub for innovation, providing access to a diverse pool of talented tech professionals and a supportive business environment from which we can continue to grow the business and get our critical product to where it's needed most, as quickly as possible."City of Wolverhampton Council leader, Stephen Simkins, said: "Goldilock's expansion is a testament to the city of Wolverhampton's growing appeal as a destination of choice for ambitious tech firms, with an extensive R&D network, deep pool of specialist talent and proximity to the region's end-to-end manufacturing supply chain." Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
