227 research outputs found
Unique Effects of Setting Goals on Behavior Change: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Objective: Goal setting is a common feature of behavior change interventions, but it is unclear when goal setting is optimally effective. The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to evaluate: (a) the unique effects of goal setting on behavior change, and (b) under what circumstances and for whom goal setting works best. Method: Four databases were searched for articles that assessed the unique effects of goal setting on behavior change using randomized controlled trials. One-hundred and 41 papers were identified from which 384 effect sizes (N = 16,523) were extracted and analyzed. A moderator analysis of sample characteristics, intervention characteristics, inclusion of other behavior change techniques, study design and delivery, quality of study, outcome measures, and behavior targeted was conducted. Results: A random effects model indicated a small positive unique effect of goal setting across a range of behaviors, d = .34 (CI [.28, .41]). Moderator analyses indicated that goal setting was particularly effective if the goal was: (a) difficult, (b) set publicly, and (c) was a group goal. There was weaker evidence that goal setting was more effective when paired with external monitoring of the behavior/outcome by others without feedback and delivered face-to-face. Conclusions: Goal setting is an effective behavior change technique that has the potential to be considered a fundamental component of successful interventions. The present review adds novel insights into the means by which goal setting might be augmented to maximize behavior change and sets the agenda for future programs of research
The Kozai-Lidov Mechanism in Hydrodynamical Disks
We use three dimensional hydrodynamical simulations to show that a highly
misaligned accretion disk around one component of a binary system can exhibit
global Kozai-Lidov cycles, where the inclination and eccentricity of the disk
are interchanged periodically. This has important implications for accreting
systems on all scales, for example, the formation of planets and satellites in
circumstellar and circumplanetary disks, outbursts in X-ray binary systems and
accretion on to supermassive black holes.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Exploring the Impact of Patient and Public Involvement in a Cancer Research Setting
An enduring theme in the literature exploring patient and public involvement (PPI) in research has been the focus on evaluating impact, defined usually in terms of participantsâ practical contribution to enhancing research processes. By contrast, there has been less emphasis on the perspectives and experiences of those involved in PPI. Drawing on qualitative data with people involved in the National Cancer Research Network in the United Kingdom, we report on what motivated participants to get involved and their experiences of involvement in this setting. We highlight how those involved in PPI often espoused the notion of the âgood citizen,â with PPI in research being a natural extension of their wider civic interests. However, our findings also highlight how PPI was an important resource, utilized by participants to make sense of living with chronic illness. We suggest that PPI in research also offers spaces for the reconfiguration of self and identity
What Makes for Effective Youth Mentoring Programmes: A rapid evidence summary
There is a large body of research, policy and comment on youth mentoring schemes. Despite this, there is very little evidence on whether such programmes work and, if they do, what makes them effective. This rapid review of the literature explores the existing evidence around what factors make youth mentoring (or intergenerational) programmes effective. We found that youth mentoring programmes can improve outcomes across academic, behavioural, emotional and social areas of young peopleâs lives. These impacts are small, but nevertheless significant. There is no evidence that youth mentoring programmes can improve physical health, although few studies examine this particular outcome. The evidence provides a number of insights into what makes youth mentoring programmes effective, including that longer mentoring relationships are associated with better outcomes, the importance of training and motivation, the need for goal-orientated programmes and the key role of the matching process
Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and retail crime: Exploring Offender Perspectives on Risk and Protective factors in the Design and Layout of Retail Environments.
There is little doubt that the design of the built environment influences offender decision-making â be that at the meso (individual street, housing development, shopping mall) or micro (individual property or shop) level (see Armitage, 2013 for a full review). Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a crime reduction approach that aims to prevent or reduce crime though the design (pre-build) or manipulation (post-build) of the built environment. CPTED is based upon a set of principles that include limiting through movement, maximising natural surveillance, maximising defensible space, ensuring that physical security is commensurate with risk and maintaining the image of an area (usually referred to as management and maintenance). Whilst these principles remain largely consistent (Poyner, 1983; Cozens et al, 2005; Armitage, 2013) there is some debate as to the extent to which there exists a disconnect between the principles â developed largely by architects and academics over three decades ago, and the extent to which these principles are applied by practitioners, or more importantly, recognised by offenders. A recent research project (Armitage and Joyce, in press) conducted in-depth interviews with twenty incarcerated prolific burglars in West Yorkshire, England. The research was inductive in nature, with participants asked to describe, in their own words, their thoughts regarding the design features of 16 photographs of residential properties (And how these design features attracted or deterred them). The research revealed that whilst some principles (including surveillance and through movement) appear to play a vital role in offender decision-making, other principles (for example, defensible space and management and maintenance) were not factors considered by offenders. Whilst this research has key implications for the review of CPTED policy and guidance, it is limited to residential housing. This paper presents the findings of a study to replicate this methodology with a small sample of incarcerated shoplifters. The focus of the research being the influence of the design and layout of shopping malls/outlets and individual shops upon the decision making of offenders
Scoping study on strengths-based social outcomes contracts (Social Impact Bonds): Main report for Bridges Outcomes Partnerships
Remote Reactor Ranging via Antineutrino Oscillations
Antineutrinos from nuclear reactors can be used for monitoring in the mid- to
far-field as part of a non-proliferation toolkit. Antineutrinos are an
unshieldable signal and carry information about the reactor core and the
distance they travel.
Using gadolinium-doped water Cherenkov detectors for this purpose has been
previously proposed alongside rate-only analyses. As antineutrinos carry
information about their distance of travel in their energy spectrum, the
analyses can be extended to a spectral analysis to gain more knowledge about
the detected core.
Two complementary analyses are used to evaluate the distance between a
proposed gadolinium-doped water-based liquid scintillator detector and a
detected nuclear reactor. Example cases are shown for a detector in Boulby
Mine, near the Boulby Underground Laboratory in the UK, and six reactor sites
in the UK and France. The analyses both show strong potential to range
reactors, but are limited by the detector design.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figure
Pig farmersâ perceptions, attitudes, influences and management of information in the decision-making process for disease control
The objectives of this study were (1) to explore the factors involved in the decision-making process used by pig farmers for disease control and (2) to investigate pig farmersâ attitudes and perceptions about different information sources relating to disease control.
In 2011 a qualitative study involving 20 face-to-face interviews with English pig farmers was conducted. The questionnaire was composed of three parts. The first part required farmers to identify two diseases they had experienced and which were difficult to recognize and/or control. They were asked to report how the disease problem was recognized, how the need for control was decided, and what affected the choice of control approach. For the latter, a structure related to the Theory of Planned Behaviour was used. Their verbal responses were classified as associated with: (1) attitude and beliefs, (2) subjective norms, or (3) perceived behavioural control (PBC). In the second part, five key sources of information for disease control (Defra, BPEX, research from academia, internet and veterinarians) and the factors related to barriers to knowledge were investigated. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. A qualitative analysis of the text of the interview transcripts was carried out using templates.
Drivers for disease control were âpig mortalityâ, âfeeling of entering in an economically critical situationâ, âanimal welfareâ and âfeeling of despairâ. Veterinarians were perceived by several participating farmers as the most trusted information source on disease control. However, in particular non-sustainable situations, other producers, and especially experiences from abroad, seemed to considerably influence the farmersâ decision-making. âLack of knowledgeâ, âfarm structure and management barriersâ and âeconomic constrainsâ were identified in relation to PBC. Several negative themes, such as âlack of communicationâ, ânot knowing where to lookâ, and âinformation biasâ were associated with research from academia.
This study identified a range of factors influencing the decision-making process for disease control by pig farmers. In addition, it highlighted the lack of awareness and difficult access of producers to current scientific research outputs. The factors identified should be considered when developing communication strategies to disseminate research findings and advice for disease control
Small Area and Individual Level Predictors of Physical Activity in Urban Communities: A Multi-Level Study in Stoke on Trent, England
Reducing population physical inactivity has been declared a global public health priority. We report a detailed multi-level analysis of small area indices and individual factors as correlates of physical activity in deprived urban areas. Multi-level regression analysis was used to investigate environmental and individual correlates of physical activity. Nine individual factors were retained in the overall model, two related to individual intentions or beliefs, three to access to shops, work or fast food outlets and two to weather; age and gender being the other two. Four area level indices related to: traffic, road casualties, criminal damage and access to green space were important in explaining variation in physical activity
Cancer, Infant Mortality and Birth Sex-Ratio in Fallujah, Iraq 2005â2009
There have been anecdotal reports of increases in birth defects and cancer in Fallujah, Iraq blamed on the use of novel weapons (possibly including depleted uranium) in heavy fighting which occurred in that town between US led forces and local elements in 2004. In Jan/Feb 2010 the authors organised a team of researchers who visited 711 houses in Fallujah, Iraq and obtained responses to a questionnaire in Arabic on cancer, birth defects and infant mortality. The total population in the resulting sample was 4,843 persons with and overall response rate was better than 60%. Relative Risks for cancer were age-standardised and compared to rates in the Middle East Cancer Registry (MECC, Garbiah Egypt) for 1999 and rates in Jordan 1996â2001. Between Jan 2005 and the survey end date there were 62 cases of cancer malignancy reported (RR = 4.22; CI: 2.8, 6.6; p < 0.00000001) including 16 cases of childhood cancer 0â14 (RR = 12.6; CI: 4.9, 32; p < 0.00000001). Highest risks were found in all-leukaemia in the age groups 0â34 (20 cases RR = 38.5; CI: 19.2, 77; p < 0.00000001), all lymphoma 0â34 (8 cases, RR = 9.24;CI: 4.12, 20.8; p < 0.00000001), female breast cancer 0â44 (12 cases RR = 9.7;CI: 3.6, 25.6; p < 0.00000001) and brain tumours all ages (4 cases, RR = 7.4;CI: 2.4, 23.1; P < 0.004). Infant mortality was based on the mean birth rate over the 4 year period 2006â2009 with 1/6th added for cases reported in January and February 2010. There were 34 deaths in the age group 0â1 in this period giving a rate of 80 deaths per 1,000 births. This may be compared with a rate of 19.8 in Egypt (RR = 4.2 p < 0.00001) 17 in Jordan in 2008 and 9.7 in Kuwait in 2008. The mean birth sex-ratio in the recent 5-year cohort was anomalous. Normally the sex ratio in human populations is a constant with 1,050 boys born to 1,000 girls. This is disturbed if there is a genetic damage stress. The ratio of boys to 1,000 girls in the 0â4, 5â9, 10â14 and 15â19 age cohorts in the Fallujah sample were 860, 1,182, 1,108 and 1,010 respectively suggesting genetic damage to the 0â4 group (p < 0.01). Whilst the results seem to qualitatively support the existence of serious mutation-related health effects in Fallujah, owing to the structural problems associated with surveys of this kind, care should be exercised in interpreting the findings quantitatively
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