Cardiovascular risk assessments at occupational health services: employee experiences

Background: Across England in the UK, population screening for cardiovascular disease (CVD) primarily takes place within general practice in the form of the National Health Service Health Check. Additional screening sites such as occupational health are advocated to improve the population impact. Aims: To investigate participant experiences with cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risk assessment (RA) at occupational health and subsequent support-seeking at general practice. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted for this qualitative study. Participants were recruited at three workplaces; a steel works and two hospital sites. Using interpretive phenomenological analyses, themes were drawn from salient narratives and categorically organized. Results: There were 29 participants. Themes (n = 16) were organized into two domains; factors that facilitated (n = 9) or thwarted (n = 7) participant engagement with the RA and general practice. All participants described the RA as worthwhile and strongly valued RA at occupational health. Those with obesity and high CVD risk highlighted their difficulties in making lifestyle changes. Participants reported confusion and anxiety when GP advice about medication appeared to contradict what participants had interpreted during RA at occupational health. Conclusions: This study highlights factors that facilitate or thwart engagement in cardiovascular RA at occupational health services and general practice follow-up. Stakeholders can integrate these factors into standard operating procedures to enhance participant engagement and enable safeguards that minimize potential harm to participants

Mapping aerial metal deposition in metropolitan areas from tree bark : a case study in Sheffield, England

We investigated the use of metals accumulated on tree bark for mapping their deposition across metropolitan Sheffield by sampling 642 trees of three common species. Mean concentrations of metals were generally an order of magnitude greater than in samples from a remote uncontaminated site. We found trivially small differences among tree species with respect to metal concentrations on bark, and in subsequent statistical analyses did not discriminate between them. We mapped the concentrations of As, Cd and Ni by lognormal universal kriging using parameters estimated by residual maximum likelihood ({\sc reml}). The concentrations of Ni and Cd were greatest close to a large steel works, their probable source, and declined markedly within 500~metres of it and from there more gradually over several kilometres. Arsenic was much more evenly distributed, probably as a result of locally mined coal burned in domestic fires for many years. Tree bark seems to integrate airborne pollution over time, and our findings show that sampling and analysing it are cost-effective means of mapping and identifying sources

Généralisation du diagramme de Voronoï et placement de formes géométriques complexes dans un nuage de points.

La géométrie algorithmique est une discipline en pleine expansion dont l'objet est la conception d'algorithmes résolvant des problèmes géométriques. De tels algorithmes sont très utiles notamment dans l'ingénierie, l'industrie et le multimédia. Pour être performant, il est fréquent qu'un algorithme géométrique utilise des structures de données spécialisées.Nous nous sommes intéressés à une telle structure : le diagramme de Voronoï et avons proposé une généralisation de celui-ci. Ladite généralisation résulte d'une extension du prédicat du disque vide (prédicat propre à toute région de Voronoï) à une union de disques. Nous avons analysé les régions basées sur le prédicat étendu et avons proposé des méthodes pour les calculer par ordinateur.Par ailleurs, nous nous sommes intéressés aux problèmes de placement de formes , thème récurrent en géométrie algorithmique. Nous avons introduit un formalisme universel pour de tels problèmes et avons, pour la première fois, proposé une méthode de résolution générique, en ce sens qu'elle est apte à résoudre divers problèmes de placement suivant un même algorithme.Nos travaux présentent, d'une part, l'avantage d'élargir le champ d'application de structures de données basées sur Voronoï. D'autre part, ils facilitent de manière générale l'utilisation de la géométrie algorithmique, en unifiant définitions et algorithmes associés aux problèmes de placement de formes.Computational geometry is an active branch of computer science whose goal is the design of efficient algorithms solving geometric problems. Such algorithms are useful in domains like engineering, industry and multimedia. In order to be efficient, algorithms often use special data structures.In this thesis we focused on such a structure: the Voronoi diagram. We proposed a new generalized diagram. We have proceeded by extending the empty disk predicate (satisfied by every Voronoi region) to an arbitrary union of disks. We have analyzed the new plane regions based on the extended predicate, and we designed algorithms for computing them.Then, we have considered another topic, which is related to the first one: shape placement problems. Such problems have been studied repeatedly by researchers in computational geometry. We introduced new notations along with a global framework for such problems. We proposed, for the first time a generic method, which is able to solve various placement problems using a single algorithm.Thus, our work extend the scope of Voronoi based data structures. It also simplifies the practical usage of placement techniques by unifying the associated definitions and algorithms.MULHOUSE-SCD Sciences (682242102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Higher spin quaternion waves in the Klein-Gordon theory

Electromagnetic interactions are discussed in the context of the Klein-Gordon fermion equation. The Mott scattering amplitude is derived in leading order perturbation theory and the result of the Dirac theory is reproduced except for an overall factor of sixteen. The discrepancy is not resolved as the study points into another direction. The vertex structures involved in the scattering calculations indicate the relevance of a modified Klein-Gordon equation, which takes into account the number of polarization states of the considered quantum field. In this equation the d'Alembertian is acting on quaternion-like plane waves, which can be generalized to representations of arbitrary spin. The method provides the same relation between mass and spin that has been found previously by Majorana, Gelfand, and Yaglom in infinite spin theories

Glucose management for exercise using continuous glucose monitoring: should sex and prandial state be additional considerations? Reply to Yardley JE and Sigal RJ [letter]

Oral diseases are a significant global health problem across all countries and populations. With about 3.5 billion cases (2017), more people are affected than by any other disease group. The main oral diseases comprise tooth decay of permanent and deciduous teeth, severe periodontal disease, and oral and lip cancer. With a largely unchanged high global prevalence, but significantly growing population sizes, the pressure on health systems is increasing, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.Nonetheless, in many countries oral health has insufficient priority as a key health topic, including the global health policy discourse of German and international stakeholders. One of the fundamental challenges is ensuring universal and equitable access to basic oral healthcare services for all and without financial hardship (Universal Health Coverage).This paper provides an introductory overview of the global trends for the main oral diseases, which are generally characterized by stark inequalities. Opportunities for improving the situation through population-wide risk reduction and preventive approaches, access to oral healthcare, and policy options are highlighted. In addition, a range of relevant global (oral) health topics with potential for tangible change are discussed. Lastly, the reform areas of the Lancet Series on Oral Health from 2019 are presented and recommendations for the German and international global health policy discourse are provided

Celebrating Spatial Planning at TU Delft 2009-2019: Summary of achievements of the Spatial Planning and Strategy section of the Department of Urbanism, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. Delft University of Technology.

This book presents an inventory of actvities developed by the section of Spatial Planning and Strategy (SPS) at the Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology

Briefing: Professor Vincent Nadin’s decade of spatial planning and strategy at TU Delft

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is the leading institution in the Netherlands for research and education in urbanism. Planning, design and technology traditionally form the key pillars of ‘Dutch urbanism’. The year 2008 marked the beginning of a new section with a new professor at the TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment: the section of Spatial Planning & Strategy (SPS). With the farewell to SPS professor Vincent Nadin in 2019, a huge source of expertise and inspiration for urbanism has left Delft’s academic community. Under Vincent’s leadership, SPS has strengthened its position and become a centre of excellence on (a) international and European territorial governance and policy-making, including their potential for democracy building, (b) regional design and planning, (c) contemporary methods of spatial planning, spatial planning instruments and spatial planning systems and cultures and (d) territorial evidence and impact assessment.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Spatial Planning and Strateg

Post-warmup strategies to maintain body temperature and physical performance in professional rugby union players.

We compared the effects of using passive-heat maintenance, explosive activity or a combination of both strategies during the post-warmup recovery time on physical performance. After a standardised warmup, 16 professional rugby union players, in a randomised design, completed a counter-movement jump (peak power output) before resting for 20 min and wearing normal-training attire (CON), wearing a passive heat maintenance (PHM) jacket, wearing normal attire and performing 3 � 5 CMJ (with a 20% body mass load) after 12 min of recovery (neuromuscular function, NMF), or combining PHM and NMF (COMB). After 20 min, participants completed further counter-movement jump and a repeated sprint protocol. Core temperature (Tcore) was measured at baseline, post-warmup and post-20 min. After 20 min of recovery, Tcore was significantly lower under CON and NMF, when compared with both PHM and COMB (P < 0.05); PHM and COMB were similar. Peak power output had declined from post-warmup under all conditions (P < 0.001); however, the drop was less in COMB versus all other conditions (P < 0.05). Repeated sprint performance was significantly better under COMB when compared to all other conditions. Combining PHM with NMF priming attenuates the post-warmup decline in Tcore and can positively influence physical performance in professional rugby union players

Measuring Recovery in Elite Rugby Players: The Brief Assessment of Mood, Endocrine Changes, and Power

Purpose: There is demand in applied sport settings to measure recovery briefly and accurately. Research indicates mood disturbance as the strongest psychological predictor of mental and physical recovery. The Brief Assessment of Mood (BAM) is a shortened version of the Profile of Mood States that can be completed in less than 30 s. The purpose of this study was to examine the BAM as a quick measure of mood in relation to recovery status in elite rugby players alongside established physiological markers of recovery. Method: Using elite rugby union players (N = 12), this study examined the utility of BAM as an indicator of mental and physical recovery in elite athletes by exploring pattern change in mood disturbance, energy index, power output, cortisol, and testosterone 36 hr before and 12 hr, 36 hr, and 60 hr after a competitive rugby match. Results: Repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant changes in all variables across the 4 time points (p &#60; .05, η2 range = .20–.48), concurrent with previous study findings. Although visual inspection of the graphs indicated that the pattern of change for mood disturbance and energy index mapped changes in all physiological variables, only a low correlation was observed for power output (r = − .34). Conclusions: Although BAM scores changed significantly over time in accordance with the hypotheses, further testing is required to confirm the utility of the BAM as a measure of recovery. The results indicate that the BAM could be used as 1 indicator of recovery status alongside other measures