From Attitude to Satisfaction: Introducing the Travel Mode Choice Cycle

Many studies analysing the relationship between attitudes and travel behaviour have found that travel attitudes have an important impact on travel mode choice. More recently, studies focusing on how people experience travel have shown that travel satisfaction is influenced by the chosen travel mode. The desire and intention of using a travel mode – which can be considered as important predictors of mode choice – have, however, received limited attention. Furthermore, existing studies mostly have a narrow scope and lack integration of the above constructs. In this paper, we introduce the travel mode choice cycle (TMCC), a comprehensive model aiming to link attitude, desire, intention, behaviour, and satisfaction by integrating prominent social-psychological attitude theories such as the theory of planned behaviour, the model of goal-directed behaviour, and the theory of cognitive dissonance. We argue that the constructs of the TMCC are strongly interrelated such that they can affect each other in direct and indirect ways. The proposed cycle provides valuable insights for policymakers to stimulate the use of desired travel modes, such as public transport and active travel. We end this paper by providing suggestions for future studies to simultaneously investigate the relationships specified by the TMCC

Conductivity and Redox Potentials of Ionic Liquid Trihalogen Monoanions [X3]−, [XY2]−, and [BrF4]− (X=Cl, Br, I and Y=Cl, Br)

The ionic liquid (IL) trihalogen monoanions [N2221][X3]− and [N2221][XY2]− ([N2221]+=triethylmethylammonium, X=Cl, Br, I, Y=Cl, Br) were investigated electrochemically via temperature dependent conductance and cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements. The polyhalogen monoanions were measured both as neat salts and as double salts in 1‐butyl‐1‐methyl‐pyrrolidinium trifluoromethane‐sulfonate ([BMP][OTf], [X3]−/[XY2]− 0.5 M). Lighter IL trihalogen monoanions displayed higher conductivities than their heavier homologues, with [Cl3]− being 1.1 and 3.7 times greater than [Br3]− and [I3]−, respectively. The addition of [BMP][OTf] reduced the conductivity significantly. Within the group of polyhalogen monoanions, the oxidation potential develops in the series [Cl3]−>[BrCl2]−>[Br3]−>[IBr2]−>[ICl2]−>[I3]−. The redox potential of the interhalogen monoanions was found to be primarily determined by the central halogen, I in [ICl2]− and [IBr2]−, and Br in [BrCl2]−. Additionally, tetrafluorobromate(III) ([N2221]+[BrF4]−) was analyzed via CV in MeCN at 0 °C, yielding a single reversible redox process ([BrF2]−/[BrF4]−)

Experimental demonstration of quantum effects in the operation of microscopic heat engines

The heat engine, a machine that extracts useful work from thermal sources, is one of the basic theoretical constructs and fundamental applications of classical thermodynamics. The classical description of a heat engine does not include coherence in its microscopic degrees of freedom. By contrast, a quantum heat engine might possess coherence between its internal states. Although the Carnot efficiency cannot be surpassed, and coherence can be performance degrading in certain conditions, it was recently predicted that even when using only thermal resources, internal coherence can enable a quantum heat engine to produce more power than any classical heat engine using the same resources. Such a power boost therefore constitutes a quantum thermodynamic signature. It has also been shown that the presence of coherence results in the thermodynamic equivalence of different quantum heat engine types, an effect with no classical counterpart. Microscopic heat machines have been recently implemented with trapped ions, and proposals for heat machines using superconducting circuits and optomechanics have been made. When operated with standard thermal baths, however, the machines implemented so far have not demonstrated any inherently quantum feature in their thermodynamic quantities. Here we implement two types of quantum heat engines by use of an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond, and experimentally demonstrate both the coherence power boost and the equivalence of different heat-engine types. This constitutes the first observation of quantum thermodynamic signatures in heat machines

A two-way photonic interface for linking Sr+ transition at 422 nm to the telecommunications C-band

We report a single-stage bi-directional interface capable of linking Sr+ trapped ion qubits in a long-distance quantum network. Our interface converts photons between the Sr+ emission wavelength at 422 nm and the telecoms C-band to enable low-loss transmission over optical fiber. We have achieved both up- and down-conversion at the single photon level with efficiencies of 9.4% and 1.1% respectively. Furthermore we demonstrate noise levels that are low enough to allow for genuine quantum operation in the future.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Behavioural symptoms of mental health disorder such as depression among young people using Instagram: a systematic review.

There is a growing debate on the linkage between social networking platforms and mental health disorder, such as depressive behaviour or depression. However, the relationship between Instagram use and depression or depressive behaviour has not been exhaustively examined. This review aims to examine these two variables. Only peer-reviewed journal articles that are published between October 2010 and December 2018 were sought in central and journal databases. Studies were selected based on predefined criteria and assessed for risk of bias and quality of evidence using GRADE. 1,856 studies were the outcome of the search, out of which 9 meets all eligible criteria. Of the 9 studies, three-quarter was published between 2017 and 2018, covering five continents: (North America: 3; Asia: 2; Australia: 2; South America: 1, Europe: 1). The final included studies broadly examined young Instagram users between the age of 19 and 35. The synthesis affirmed a linkage between Instagram and symptoms of depression or depressive behaviour. Variables that moderate this relationship are social comparison, self-esteem built on validation and approval of others, social media dependence, gender, negative or insufficient feedback, poor self-rated attractiveness, Instagram broadcasting and loneliness, younger users and risk of anxiety, and the number of strangers that users follow. There is a strong relationship between Instagram use and mental health disorders such as depression or depressive behaviour; however, no in-depth direct causality is proven yet. Further studies are needed to unravel the direct causality puzzles

The C-Band All-Sky Survey: Instrument design, status, and first-look data

The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS) aims to produce sensitive, all-sky maps of diffuse Galactic emission at 5 GHz in total intensity and linear polarization. These maps will be used (with other surveys) to separate the several astrophysical components contributing to microwave emission, and in particular will allow an accurate map of synchrotron emission to be produced for the subtraction of foregrounds from measurements of the polarized Cosmic Microwave Background. We describe the design of the analog instrument, the optics of our 6.1 m dish at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, the status of observations, and first-look data.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, published in Proceedings of SPIE MIllimeter, Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy V (2010), Vol. 7741, 77411I-1 - 77411I-1