Using Motivational Interviewing to reduce threats in conversations about environmental behavior

Human behavior contributes to a waste of environmental resources and our society is looking for ways to reduce this problem. However, humans may perceive feedback about their environmental behavior as threatening. According to self-determination theory (SDT), threats decrease intrinsic motivation for behavior change. According to self-affirmation theory (SAT), threats can harm individuals’ self-integrity. Therefore, individuals should show self-defensive biases, e.g., in terms of presenting counterarguments when presented with environmental behavior change. The current study examines how change recipients respond to threats from change agents in interactions about environmental behavior change. Moreover, we investigate how Motivational Interviewing (MI) — an intervention aimed at increasing intrinsic motivation — can reduce threats at both the social and cognitive level. We videotaped 68 dyadic interactions with change agents who either did or did not use MI (control group). We coded agents verbal threats and recipients’ verbal expressions of motivation. Recipients also rated agents’ level of confrontation and empathy (i.e., cognitive reactions). As hypothesized, threats were significantly lower when change agents used MI. Perceived confrontations converged with observable social behavior of change agents in both groups. Moreover, behavioral threats showed a negative association with change recipients’ expressed motivation (i.e., reasons to change). Contrary to our expectations, we found no relation between change agents’ verbal threats and change recipients’ verbally expressed selfdefenses (i.e., sustain talk). Our results imply that MI reduces the adverse impact of threats in conversations about environmental behavior change on both the social and cognitive level. We discuss theoretical implications of our study in the context of SAT and SDT and suggest practical implications for environmental change agents in organizations

Electrophosphorescence And Delayed Electroluminescence From Pristine Polyfluorene Thin-film Devices At Low Temperature

Intrinsic long-lived electrophosphorescence and delayed electroluminescence from a conjugated polymer (polyfluorene) thin film is observed for the first time at low temperature. From bias offset voltage dependent measurements, it is concluded that the delayed fluorescence is generated via triplet-triplet annihilation. A fast and efficient triplet exciton quenching by charge carriers is found to occur in the active polymer layer of the working devices

Delayed subsidence of the Dead Sea shore due to hydro-meteorological changes

Many studies show the sensitivity of our environment to manmade changes, especially the anthropogenic impact on atmospheric and hydrological processes. The effect on Solid Earth processes such as subsidence is less straightforward. Subsidence is usually slow and relates to the interplay of complex hydro-mechanical processes, thus making relations to atmospheric changes difficult to observe. In the Dead Sea (DS) region, however, climatic forcing is strong and over-use of fresh water is massive. An observation period of 3 years was thus sufficient to link the high evaporation (97 cm/year) and the subsequent drop of the Dead Sea lake level (− 110 cm/year), with high subsidence rates of the Earth’s surface (− 15 cm/year). Applying innovative Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) techniques, we are able to resolve this subsidence of the “Solid Earth” even on a monthly basis and show that it behaves synchronous to atmospheric and hydrological changes with a time lag of two months. We show that the amplitude and fluctuation period of ground deformation is related to poro-elastic hydro-mechanical soil response to lake level changes. This provides, to our knowledge, a first direct link between shore subsidence, lake-level drop and evaporation

Problèmes aux limites issus de la supraconductivité (estimations semi-classiques et comportement asymptotique des solutions)

Cette thèse est consacrèe à l'étude de plusieurs modèles de l'effet de proximité' dans le cadre de la thèorie de Ginzburg-Landau de la supraconductivité. Ces modèles proviennent des interfaces entre des supraconducteurs et des métaux normaux.Dans une première partie de cette thèse, nous estimons dans le régime semiclassique le bas du spectre d'un opérateur de Schrôdinger magnétique associé à une condition au bord du type Fourier (Robin), appelée dans ce contexte la condition au bord de de Gennes, et nous étudions également la localisation des états fondamentaux. Nous exhibons des cas où la condition au bord de de Gennes a des effets forts sur cette localisation.Dans une autre partie, nous construisons un problème spectral lié à l'apparition de la supraconductivité pour une fonctionnelle de Ginzburg-Landau généralisée ayant des coefficients discontinues, où le paramètre d'ordre' et le potentiel magnétique' sont définis dans l'espace entier. Pourle régime où le paramétre de Ginzburg-Landau est grand, nous estimons le champ surcritique corespondant au champ pour lequel les états normaux perdent leur stabilité. Dans d'autres régimes asymptotiques, nous retrouvons un développement limité déjà obtenu pour un autre modèle standard'.Dans la dernière partie, nous étudions de nouveau une fonctionnelle de Ginzburg-Landau généralisée mais dans le cas sans champ magnétique appliqué. Nous obtenons dans ce cas le comportement asymptotique du paramètre d'ordre pour le régime où le paramètre de Ginzburg-Landau est grand. Ceci montre en particulier que la supraconductivité persiste dans une bande mince dans le métal normal, près du bord du supraconducteur.This thesis is devoted to the study of various models for the proximity effect' in the frame work of the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superconductivity. These models arise in the situation when a superconductor is adjacent to a normal metal.In a first part of this thesis, we estimate in the semi-classical limit the ground state energy of a magnetic Schrôdinger operator associated to a Fourier (Robin) type boundary condition, called in this context the de Gennes boundary condition, and we study the localization of the ground states. We exhibit cases when the de Gennes boundary condition has strong effects on this localization.In another part, we formulate a spectral problem related to the onset of superconductivity for a generalized Ginzburg-Landau functional having discontinuous coefficients, where the order parameter and the magnetic potential are defined in the whole space In the regime when the Ginzburg-Landau parameter (of the superconducting material) is large, we estimate the critical applied magnetic field for which the normal state will lose its stability. In some asymptotic situations, we recover results related to the standard' Ginzburg-Landau model.In the final part, we study again a generalized Ginzburg-Landau functional in the case without an applied magnetic field. We determine in this case the asymptotic behavior of the order parameter in the regime when the Ginzburg-Landau parameter is large. This shows in particular that the superconductivity persists in a thin boundary sheath of the normal material, near the boundary of the superconductor.ORSAY-PARIS 11-BU Sciences (914712101) / SudocORSAY-PARIS 11-Bib. Maths (914712203) / SudocSudocFranceF

Heart failure in patients with coronary heart disease: Prevalence, characteristics and guideline implementation – Results from the German EuroAspire IV cohort

Background: Adherence to pharmacotherapeutic treatment guidelines in patients with heart failure (HF) is of major prognostic importance, but thorough implementation of guidelines in routine care remains insufficient. Our aim was to investigate prevalence and characteristics of HF in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), and to assess the adherence to current HF guidelines in patients with HF stage C, thus identifying potential targets for the optimization of guideline implementation. Methods: Patients from the German sample of the European Action on Secondary and Primary Prevention by Intervention to Reduce Events (EuroAspire) IV survey with a hospitalization for CHD within the previous six to 36 months providing valid data on echocardiography as well as on signs and symptoms of HF were categorized into stages of HF: A, prevalence of risk factors for developing HF; B, asymptomatic but with structural heart disease; C, symptomatic HF. A Guideline Adherence Indicator (GAI-3) was calculated for patients with reduced (≤40%) left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) as number of drugs taken per number of drugs indicated; beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin receptor blockers, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) were considered. Results: 509/536 patients entered analysis. HF stage A was prevalent in n = 20 (3.9%), stage B in n = 264 (51.9%), and stage C in n = 225 (44.2%) patients; 94/225 patients were diagnosed with HFrEF (42%). Stage C patients were older, had a longer duration of CHD, and a higher prevalence of arterial hypertension. Awareness of pre-diagnosed HF was low (19%). Overall GAI-3 of HFrEF patients was 96.4% with a trend towards lower GAI-3 in patients with lower LVEF due to less thorough MRA prescription. Conclusions: In our sample of CHD patients, prevalence of HF stage C was high and a sizable subgroup suffered from HFrEF. Overall, pharmacotherapy was fairly well implemented in HFrEF patients, although somewhat worse in patients with more reduced ejection fraction. Two major targets were identified possibly suited to further improve the implementation of HF guidelines: 1) increase patients´ awareness of diagnosis and importance of HF; and 2) disseminate knowledge about the importance of appropriately implementing the use of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist

Satellite-based estimates of groundwater storage variations in large drainage basins with extensive floodplains

This study presents monthly estimates of groundwater anomalies in a large river basin dominated by extensive floodplains, the Negro River Basin, based on the synergistic analysis using multisatellite observations and hydrological models. For the period 2003-2004, changes in water stored in the aquifer is isolated from the total water storage measured by GRACE by removing contributions of both the surface reservoir, derived from satellite imagery and radar altimetry, and the root zone reservoir simulated by WGHM and LaD hydrological models. The groundwater anomalies show a realistic spatial pattern compared with the hydrogeological map of the basin, and similar temporal variations to local in situ groundwater observations and altimetry-derived level height measurements. Results highlight the potential of combining multiple satellite techniques with hydrological modeling to estimate the evolution of groundwater storage

Modélisation numérique du comportement d'une particule sous champ électrique dans les microsystèmes (de la déformation au déplacement)

Un nouvel outil numérique pour prédire le mouvement et la déformation de particules sous champ électrique dans les microsystèmes biologiques est proposé. Ce moyen permettra à terme l'optimisation de labopuces dans les premières phases de conception. Le phénomène utilisé pour manipuler les particules est la diélectrophorèse associée au mouvement dû à la polarisation des diélectriques sous champ électrique non uniforme. L'outil numérique utilisé pour le suivi des interfaces mobiles sous champ électrique est la Méthode Intégrale aux Frontières (MIF). Les écoulements sont supposés irrotationnels. Par cet outil, nous avons réussi à retrouver les résultats de Taylor sur l'instabilité des gouttes sous champ uniforme. Les résultats du déplacement des gouttes sous champ non uniforme montrent un bon accord également entre les simulations et des modèles analytiques approchés. L'état de développement de l'outil MIF nous permet d'envisager son extension vers des problèmes électrohydrodynamiques encore plus riches.GRENOBLE1-BU Sciences (384212103) / SudocSudocFranceF

Advantages of breast cancer visualization and characterization using synchrotron radiation phase-contrast tomography

© International Union of Crystallography, 2018 The aim of this study was to highlight the advantages that propagation-based phase-contrast computed tomography (PB-CT) with synchrotron radiation can provide in breast cancer diagnostics. For the first time, a fresh and intact mastectomy sample from a 60 year old patient was scanned on the IMBL beamline at the Australian Synchrotron in PB-CT mode and reconstructed. The clinical picture was described and characterized by an experienced breast radiologist, who underlined the advantages of providing diagnosis on a PB-CT volume rather than conventional two-dimensional modalities. Subsequently, the image quality was assessed by 11 breast radiologists and medical imaging experts using a radiological scoring system. The results indicate that, with the radiation dose delivered to the sample being equal, the accuracy of a diagnosis made on PB-CT images is significantly higher than one using conventional techniques