‘We had the most wonderful times’: seaside nostalgia at a British resort

Morecambe is a traditional British seaside resort that experienced a dynamic ebb and flow of visitors. It still attracts visitors, many of whom are from the North of England and in the second half of their lives. The experiences of such traditional seaside markets have not been examined as carefully by academics in recent years as one might assume. All too often this subject falls between the gap between serious academic study and popular culture, which supports narratives focussing on the apparent decline of an idealised seaside. Instead this paper attempts to gain an understanding of this seaside experience, and is based around ten semi-structured interviews with 55-74 year old repeat North of England visitors to Morecambe. It considers their nostalgic connection and reaction to the resort, which emerged as a significant element of visitor experience. The seaside is considered timeless by these visitors and facilitates a reverie through which one can temporarily revisit a past which is populated by childhood memories of family members. The resort allows visitors to fleetingly transcend time, through immersion in the unchanging resort with its timeless seacape. This reconnection with the past highlights a dissatisfaction with the present which hinges on the loss of childhood. Yet nostalgia also allowed for a positive re-telling of the past which underpinned family narratives and contributed to the cross-generational appeal of the beach

Optical Spin Initialization and Non-Destructive Measurement in a Quantum Dot Molecule

The spin of an electron in a self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dot molecule is optically prepared and measured through the trion triplet states. A longitudinal magnetic field is used to tune two of the trion states into resonance, forming a superposition state through asymmetric spin exchange. As a result, spin-flip Raman transitions can be used for optical spin initialization, while separate trion states enable cycling transitions for non-destructive measurement. With two-laser transmission spectroscopy we demonstrate both operations simultaneously, something not previously accomplished in a single quantum dot.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

Photoluminescence Spectroscopy of the Molecular Biexciton in Vertically Stacked Quantum Dot Pairs

We present photoluminescence studies of the molecular neutral biexciton-exciton spectra of individual vertically stacked InAs/GaAs quantum dot pairs. We tune either the hole or the electron levels of the two dots into tunneling resonances. The spectra are described well within a few-level, few-particle molecular model. Their properties can be modified broadly by an electric field and by structural design, which makes them highly attractive for controlling nonlinear optical properties.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, (v2, revision based on reviewers comments, published

Polarized fine structure in the excitation spectrum of a negatively charged quantum dot

We report polarized photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy of the negative trion in single charge tunable InAs/GaAs quantum dots. The spectrum exhibits a p-shell resonance with polarized fine structure arising from the direct excitation of the electron spin triplet states. The energy splitting arises from the axially symmetric electron-hole exchange interaction. The magnitude and sign of the polarization are understood from the spin character of the triplet states and a small amount of quantum dot asymmetry, which mixes the wavefunctions through asymmetric e-e and e-h exchange interactions

Lactose and benign ovarian tumours in a case–control study

We investigated the relation between benign ovarian tumours and lactose among 746 case women identified at seven New York metropolitan hospitals and 404 community controls, age and hospital frequency matched to the expected case distribution. No increase in risk was found for lactose (highest quartile versus lowest: adjusted odds ratio = 0.82 (95% CI 0.57–1.20) or for any other lactose foods. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Long-Term Outcomes following the MEND 7-13 Child Weight Management Program.

Background: In the current study, we report outcomes 2.4 years from baseline in a random subsample of overweight and obese children who attended MEND 7-13 programs delivered in UK community settings under service level conditions. Methods: The study employed an uncontrolled pre-follow-up design. A total of 165 children were measured. Outcomes included anthropometry, parental perception of emotional distress, body esteem, and self-esteem. Results: Overall, there were significant improvements in all outcomes apart from BMI z-score. In boys, BMI z-score, waist circumference z-score, and psychometrics all improved. In girls, there were no statistically significant differences at 2.4 years, except for body esteem. Conclusions: In real-world settings, the MEND intervention, when delivered by nonspecialists, may result in modest, yet positive, long-term outcomes. Subsequent research should focus on improving the outcome effect size, providing effective behavior change maintenance strategies, and further investigating the reasons behind the observed gender differences