40 research outputs found

    Electromobility in the Global South: An equitable transition toward road passenger transport decarbonization

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    This discussion paper, is the result of an overall effort undertaken by the Sustainable Mobility for All partnership, in conjunction with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Climate Compatible Growth (CCG) Programme. It questions whether the Global North’s approach to electromobility is suitable for countries in the Global South, particularly Least Developed Countries (LDCs). It complements two other policy papers by the SuM4All partnership: (i) The Digital toolkit for Energy and Mobility, which provides useful resources to integrate policy measures toward sustainable mobility; and (ii) Sustainable Electric Mobility: Building Blocks and Policy Recommendations on policy barriers to electromobility and essential building blocks for public policy in this area. Released under the Global Roadmap of Action series (GRA)ii, these papers contribute to a deeper understanding of the comprehensive policy framework required to transition to sustainable mobility. The series intends to stimulate an informed discussion on policy choices in transport and position the SuM4All partnership more prominently in the run-up towards COP26 and beyond. This will contribute to the debate on transport decarbonization, while considering the other goals of sustainable mobility: universal access, efficiency, and safety. The SuM4all partnership outlined this comprehensive policy framework in the GRAiii, which is now being piloted in South Africa. This paper shows that the model for transitioning to electromobility in the Global North will not work for all countries, and therefore new, innovative approaches are needed so that countries in the Global South are not left behind. Many countries understand the issue and are willing to transition but the poorest countries often face demanding technological, financial, and social pressures. These current circumstances make this transition extremely difficult or not timely. The Global North has a responsibility, as the historic high emitter of carbon, to help these countries bridge the Green Divide. The paper seeks to raise questions and issues for dialogue focused on the role of electromobility as a solution to decarbonize the transport sector. It is intended as a unique discussion document, which will contribute to the international debate at COP26 and beyond, regarding the right pathway to decarbonize the sector by taking the perspective of the LDCs in the Global South

    The relationship between motor competence, physical activity, cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI in UK adolescents

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    Purpose: This study set out to identify the extent of the relationships between subsections of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2nd Edition - MABC2 (manual dexterity, aiming and catching, and balance) to PA, CRF and BMI in adolescents. Methods: Height, BMI, the MABC2, a 20m shuttle run test and wrist-worn accelerometery PA levels (mins) were measured. Multivariable linear regression models, adjusting for sex, height and BMI were used to assess the relationship of the three subsections of the MABC2 with PA, CRF and BMI. Results: A total of 155 adolescents, aged 13-14 years, took part in this study (77 girls, 78 boys). Balance reported significant relationships with moderate to vigorous PA (unstandardised Beta B=0.15, 95%CI 0.02-0.28), vigorous PA (B=0.06, 95%CI 0.02-0.09) and BMI (B=-0.01, 95%CI -0.02-0.005). Balance in addition to aiming and catching skills were both significantly related to adolescent CRF (B=0.30, 95%CI 0.17-0.42 and B=0.29, 95%CI 0.14-0.45, respectively). Conclusion: This study suggests that balance is the strongest correlate skill to achieving the highest intensities of PA and healthier BMI status in adolescents

    Motor learning in developmental coordination disorder: behavioral and neuroimaging study

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    Developmental coordination disorder (DCD) is characterized by motor learning deficits that are poorly understood within whole-body activities context. Here we present results of one of the largest non-randomized interventional trials combining brain imaging and motion capture techniques to examine motor skill acquisition and its underpinning mechanisms in adolescents with and without DCD. A total of 86 adolescents with low fitness levels (including 48 with DCD) were trained on a novel stepping task for a duration of 7 weeks. Motor performance during the stepping task was assessed under single and dual-task conditions. Concurrent cortical activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) was measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Additionally, structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was conducted during a similar stepping task at the beginning of the trial. The results indicate that adolescents with DCD performed similarly to their peers with lower levels of fitness in the novel stepping task and demonstrated the ability to learn and improve motor performance. Both groups showed significant improvements in both tasks and under single- and dual-task conditions at post-intervention and follow-up compared to baseline. While both groups initially made more errors in the Stroop task under dual-task conditions, at follow-up, a significant difference between single- and dual-task conditions was observed only in the DCD group. Notably, differences in prefrontal activation patterns between the groups emerged at different time points and task conditions. Adolescents with DCD exhibited distinct prefrontal activation responses during the learning and performance of a motor task, particularly when complexity was increased by concurrent cognitive tasks. Furthermore, a relationship was observed between MRI brain structure and function measures and initial performance in the novel stepping task. Overall, these findings suggest that strategies that address task and environmental complexities, while simultaneously enhancing brain activity through a range of tasks, offer opportunities to increase the participation of adolescents with low fitness in physical activity and sports

    Declining fitness and physical education lessons in UK adolescents

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    Objectives. The objective was to determine recent cross-sectional trends in health-related fitness (HRF) in secondary school students by studying the 13–14 years old age group repeatedly over 6 years, considering parallel national trends in physical education (PE). Methods. Height, weight, broad jump, grip strength, 20 m shuttle run and throwing and catching skills were measured by the same research team using standardised techniques from 2014 to 2019. Trends in these HRF measures were assessed by linear regression, adjusting for school, sex and height. Interactions with fitness and body mass index (BMI) were tested. The number of PE lessons reported in the UK Annual School Workforce Census between 2010 and 2019 for all state-funded secondary schools was analysed. Results. Grip strength (B=−0.60, 95% CI −0.78 to –0.41), broad jump (B=−1.16, 95% CI −1.99 to –0.34), 20 m shuttle run (B=−1.85, 95% CI −2.58 to –1.12) and throwing and catching skills (B=−0.12, 95% CI −0.15 to –0.08) declined significantly over the study period. There was a greater reduction in broad jump and grip strength in adolescents with low fitness and a greater reduction in fitness and motor competence in adolescents with normal BMI. These declines coincided with a 16% reduction nationally in secondary school PE between 2010 (333 800 hours) and 2019 (280 725 hours). Conclusion. Adolescent HRF has declined in recent years, in parallel with PE lessons. Declines were observed across all young people and particularly those of low fitness and normal BMI. To reach the majority of young people, policy makers could increase PE in schools to increase activity and prevent worsening fitness and health in future generations

    SN Zwicky: uncovering a population of gravitational lens galaxies with magnified "standard candles"

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    We report the discovery of a very rare phenomenon, a multiply-imaged gravitationally lensed Type Ia supernova (SNe Ia), "SN Zwicky", a.k.a. SN 2022qmx, magnified nearly twenty-five times by a foreground galaxy. The system was identified as intrinsically bright thanks to the "standard candle" nature of SNe Ia. Observations with high-spatial resolution instruments resolved a system with four nearly simultaneous images, with an Einstein radius of only θE=0.167"\theta_E =0.167", corresponding to a lens mass of 8⋅1098\cdot 10^9 solar masses within a physical size below 0.80.8 kiloparsecs. A smooth lens model fails to reproduce the image flux ratios, suggesting significant additional magnification from compact objects. Given the small image splitting and a relatively faint deflecting galaxy, the lensing system would not have been found through the angular separation technique generally used in large imaging surveys

    Children must be protected from the tobacco industry's marketing tactics.

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    Reimagining Rehabilitation: Beyond the individual

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