Yoga practice in the UK: a cross- sectional survey of motivation, health benefits and behaviours

Objectives Despite the popularity of yoga and evidence of its positive effects on physical and mental health, little is known about yoga practice in the UK. This study investigated the characteristics of people who practise yoga, reasons for initiating and maintaining practice, and perceived impact of yoga on health and well-being. Design, setting and participants A cross-sectional online anonymous survey distributed through UK-based yoga organisations, studios and events, through email invites and flyers. 2434 yoga practitioners completed the survey, including 903 yoga teachers: 87% were women, 91% white and 71% degree educated; mean age was 48.7 years. Main outcome measures Perceived impact of yoga on health conditions, health outcomes and injuries. Relationships between yoga practice and measures of health, lifestyle, stress and well-being. Results In comparison with national population norms, participants reported significantly higher well-being but also higher anxiety; lower perceived stress, body mass index and incidence of obesity, and higher rates of positive health behaviours. 47% reported changing their motivations to practise yoga, with general wellness and fitness key to initial uptake, and stress management and spirituality important to current practice. 16% of participants reported starting yoga to manage a physical or mental health condition. Respondents reported the value of yoga for a wide range of health conditions, most notably for musculoskeletal and mental health conditions. 20.7% reported at least one yoga-related injury over their lifetime. Controlling for demographic factors, frequency of yoga practice accounted for small but significant variance in health-related regression models (p<0.001). Conclusion The findings of this first detailed UK survey were consistent with surveys in other Western countries. Yoga was perceived to have a positive impact on physical and mental health conditions and was linked to positive health behaviours. Further investigation of yoga’s role in self-care could inform health-related challenges faced by many countries

The ATLAS Forward Physics Program

The potential of forward physics measurements at ATLAS is presented. A brief description of the ZDC and LHCf is given, along with the dedicated luminosity system, LUCID and ALFA. The physics measurements include low luminosity elastic and diffractive measurements using the existing forward detectors and upgraded proton tagging at high luminosity to search for new physics

Forward Physics at ATLAS

Presentation on behalf of ATLAS at Low-x 200

The Diffusion Network of Research Knowledge in Operations Management

Purpose: To examine how the research knowledge in OM has been obtained and distributed since the first journals in OM began publication in 1980, changes in the interests of OM over the decades and where they are heading in the future, and to explore the changing roles of individual journals in the development of OM. Design/methodology/approach: A two-stage bibliometric study was employed, first using citation analysis to examine the changing research interests in OM through an analysis of the OM journals. Then the top journals of most importance to OM were analysed to determine the role that each one played in the knowledge distribution network and how that changed over the decades. Findings: OM’s journal base consists of 7 research knowledge sources, 12 transmitters linking different journal groups, and 11 sinks with limited input. Research attention changed from practice, engineering, and OR to general management, strategy, and production management in the 2000s, with strategy, organizational issues, and logistics surfacing in the 2010s. OM features increasingly academic research with less interest in practice. OM journals’ network importance has increased substantially, with JOM now a bridge between the quantitative and management journals. Practical implications Both researchers and managers gain in understanding the history and identifying the future direction of OM, as well as which journals will have the most relevant papers to their interests. Originality/value: This research identifies the history of the OM field in terms of its constituents and where it is going in the future. This history is related to the role OM plays among the knowledge network of top journals and presents a novel way of classifying and labeling journals based on their contribution

The role of feedback in shaping the structure of the interstellar medium

We present an analysis of the role of feedback in shaping the neutral hydrogen (H I) content of simulated disc galaxies. For our analysis, we have used two realizations of two separate Milky Way-like (similar to L star) discs - one employing a conservative feedback scheme (McMaster Unbiased Galaxy Survey), the other significantly more energetic [Making Galaxies In a Cosmological Context (MaGICC)]. To quantify the impact of these schemes, we generate zeroth moment (surface density) maps of the inferred H I distribution; construct power spectra associated with the underlying structure of the simulated cold interstellar medium, in addition to their radial surface density and velocity dispersion profiles. Our results are compared with a parallel, self-consistent, analysis of empirical data from The H I Nearby Galaxy Survey (THINGS). Single power-law fits (P proportional to k(gamma)) to the power spectra of the stronger feedback (MaGICC) runs (over spatial scales corresponding to similar to 0.5 to similar to 20 kpc) result in slopes consistent with those seen in the THINGS sample (gamma similar to -2.5). The weaker feedback (MUGS) runs exhibit shallower power-law slopes (gamma similar to -1.2). The power spectra of the MaGICC simulations are more consistent though with a two-component fit, with a flatter distribution of power on larger scales (i.e. gamma similar to -1.4 for scales in excess of similar to 2 kpc) and a steeper slope on scales below similar to 1 kpc (gamma similar to -5), qualitatively consistent with empirical claims, as well as our earlier work on dwarf discs. The radial H I surface density profiles of the MaGICC discs show a clear exponential behaviour, while those of the MUGS suite are essentially flat; both behaviours are encountered in nature, although the THINGS sample is more consistent with our stronger (MaGICC) feedback runs

Testes size, testosterone production and reproductive behaviour in a natural mammalian mating system

1. Testosterone (T) is a key mediator in the expression of numerous morphological and behavioural traits in mammals, but the factors underlying individual variation in circulating T levels are poorly understood. 2. The intimate structural integration of sperm and T production within the testes, alongside the dependency of sperm production on high levels of T, suggests that T requirements for spermatogenesis could be an important driver of individual differences in T. 3. To test this hypothesis, we examine how male capacity for sperm production ( as indicated by their testes size) is associated with T levels in a feral population of Soay sheep, resident on St. Kilda, Scotland, during their rutting season. 4. We found a strong positive relationship between an individual's testes size ( as measured before their seasonal enlargement) and the levels of circulating T during their rut, suggesting that T requirements for spermatogenesis has a prominent influence on the production of this androgen. 5. In contrast, body condition and competitive ability did not independently predict T levels, findings that are inconsistent with conventional 'condition-dependent' and 'challenge' hypotheses of T production. 6. This influence of male's capacity for sperm production on T appeared to be substantial enough to be biologically relevant, as testes size also predicted male aggression and mate-seeking behaviour. 7. Our results suggest that a male's inherent capacity for sperm and T production is tightly phenotypically integrated, with potential consequences for a wide range of other T-mediated reproductive traits

A Taxonomy of Knowledge Spillovers for High-Tech Start-ups Development

Entrepreneurship is considered of utmost importance for national economic and industrial growth. A leading theory related to economic development is the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship (KSTE), which aims to uncover the effects that economic agents have on the creation of new companies. By following the KSTE process, companies can commercialize and implement newly acquired knowledge in the market more quickly. Typically, economic growth evaluation is conducted at the country or regional level through global monitoring indexes, assessment on the generation of patents, and identification of the number of companies created. However, since knowledge is sometimes unattached to a physical document or item, it remains necessary to clarify a taxonomy and flow of knowledge spillovers at the individual level for start-ups in their first three to five years of development from the time that the company is funded. The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss possible strategies for evaluating the effects of knowledge spillovers on start-ups in high-tech sections which, in turn, will aid the decision-making process of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)

A Taxonomy of Knowledge Spillovers for High-Tech Start-ups Development

Entrepreneurship is considered of utmost importance for national economic and industrial growth. A leading theory related to economic development is the Knowledge Spillover Theory of Entrepreneurship (KSTE), which aims to uncover the effects that economic agents have on the creation of new companies. By following the KSTE process, companies can commercialize and implement newly acquired knowledge in the market more quickly. Typically, economic growth evaluation is conducted at the country or regional level through global monitoring indexes, assessment on the generation of patents, and identification of the number of companies created. However, since knowledge is sometimes unattached to a physical document or item, it remains necessary to clarify a taxonomy and flow of knowledge spillovers at the individual level for start-ups in their first three to five years of development from the time that the company is funded. The purpose of this paper is to identify and discuss possible strategies for evaluating the effects of knowledge spillovers on start-ups in high-tech sections which, in turn, will aid the decision-making process of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)