Life History Strategies and Individual Variation in Men's Desire to Appear Muscular.

M.A. Thesis. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa 2017

Chaplains on campus: Understanding chaplaincy in UK universities

Chaplaincy is a significant aspect of university life. The chaplaincy is often the first port of call for students of faith, as well as for non-religious students, staff, international students and those seeking a supportive, listening ear. Moreover, chaplains often play an important role in the management of on-campus challenges concerning religious discrimination, religious extremism and freedom of speech, their work increasingly framed by legal obligations issued in the Equality Act (2010) and the CounterTerrorism and Security Act (2015). In the 21st century, university chaplaincy is often organised around a multi-faith model, under the auspices of a full-time coordinating chaplain who is most likely to be Anglican. This report, from the largest multi-method study of university chaplaincy, explores how this model of operation is worked out in practice. At a time of new public scrutiny of religion in universities, this report offers evidence to help shape the future of chaplaincy across the university sector

Performance of the Micromegas detector in the CAST experiment

The gaseous Micromegas detector designed for the CERN Axion search experiment CAST, operated smoothly during Phase-I, which included the 2003 and 2004 running periods. It exhibited linear response in the energy range of interest (1-10keV), good spatial sensitivity and energy resolution (15-19% FWHM at 5.9keV)as well as remarkable stability. The detector's upgrade for the 2004 run, supported by the development of advanced offline analysis tools, improved the background rejection capability, leading to an average rate 5x10^-5 counts/sec/cm^2/keV with 94% cut efficiency. Also, the origin of the detected background was studied with a Monte Carlo simulation, using the GEANT4 package.Comment: Prepared for PSD7: The Seventh International Conference on Position Sensitive Detectors, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 12-16 Sep. 200

A qualitative study on Norwegian esports students' sleep, nutritional and physical activity habits and the link to health and performance

Aim: This study explored Norwegian esports students’ lifestyle perspectives and habits concerning health and esports performance. Methods and results: Twenty participants between 17 and 21 years of age studying esports were recruited from high schools and folk high schools. The participants were interviewed through Zoom using a semi-structured interview guide, and the data were analyzed using a thematical analysis approach. The emerging themes were: 1) energy and focus, 2) the impact of gaming and esports on sleep, and 3) mental health and lifestyle factors. Proper nutrition, sleep, and reduced intake of energy drinks was considered essential factors for optimal energy and focus. Although this was the consensus, many participants reported skipping breakfast, sub-optimal sleep patterns, and habitual consumption of energy drinks. The participants also reported that sleep was negatively affected by playing right up until bedtime. However, esports matches did not impair sleep due to the time of the day matches were played. Finally, regular physical activity was considered vital for good mental health. Conclusion: The participants acknowledged that proper nutrition, enough sleep, and regular physical activity were essential for optimal health and esports performance. However, many participants reported sub-optimal lifestyle habits, such as skipping breakfast, using blue light-emitting devices before bedtime, and consuming energy drinks. Future research should consider investigating the previously mentioned lifestyle factors to help the esports population develop strategies for improving health and in-game performance.publishedVersio

Using geographic information systems for radon exposure assessment in dwellings in the Oslo region, Norway

Radon exposures were assigned to each residential address in the Oslo region using a geographic information system (GIS) that included indoor radon measurements. The results will be used in an epidemiologic study regarding leukemia and brain cancer. The model is based on 6% of measured residential buildings. High density of indoor radon measurements allowed us to develop a buffer model where indoor radon measurements found around each dwelling were used to assign a radon value for homes lacking radon measurement. <br><br> Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to study the agreement between radon values from the buffer method, from indoor radon values of measured houses, and from a regression model constructed with radiometric data (<i>e</i>_Th, <i>e</i>_U) and bedrock geology. We obtained good agreement for both comparisons with ICC values between 0.54 and 0.68. <br><br> GIS offers a useful variety of tools to study the indoor-radon exposure assessment. By using the buffer method it is more likely that geological conditions are similar within the buffer and this may take more into account the variation of radon over short distances. It is also probable that short-distance-scale correlation patterns express similarities in building styles and living habits. Although the method has certain limitations, we regard it as acceptable for use in epidemiological studies

Relationships between exposure to different gambling advertising types, advertising impact and problem gambling

People with gambling problems report more exposure and impact from gambling advertising, although less is known regarding the role of specific advertising types. Data on gamblers (n = 5830, 48.5% women, mean age = 44.27) was collected from a general population cross-sectional survey in Norway (32.7% response rate). We examined if problem gambling was associated with perceived advertising impact (on gambling involvement, awareness, and knowledge) or exposure (via internet, TV, retail outlet, newspaper, and direct advertising). We also investigated if advertising exposure was associated with advertising impact. ANOVAs revealed that problem gambling was associated with increased perceived advertising impact on gambling involvement (ω2 = 0.09, p < .001) and awareness of gambling (ω2 = 0.04, p < .001). Reported exposure to direct advertising increased linearly with problem gambling level (ω2 = 0.04, p < .001), whereas we found small/no differences in exposure to other types of advertising. Multiple regressions revealed that among advertising types, internet advertising was the strongest predictor of perceived advertising impact on gambling involvement (β = 0.1, p < .001). TV advertising was the strongest predictor of advertising impact on knowledge of gambling forms and operators (β = 0.28, p < .001) and awareness of gambling (β = .05, p < .05). Future studies should elucidate how different subtypes of internet advertising impact gambling involvement. Clinicians should assess clients’ experiences with direct advertising and devise interventions for coping. Researchers should be aware that internet and direct advertising allow for more tailored content compared to other advertising types.publishedVersio

Acute and chronic effects of foam rolling vs eccentric exercise on ROM and force output of the plantar flexors

Foam rolling and eccentric exercise interventions have been demonstrated to improve range of motion (ROM). However, these two modalities have not been directly compared. Twenty-three academy soccer players (age: 18 ± 1; height: 1.74 ± 0.08 m; body mass: 69.3 ± 7.5 kg) were randomly allocated to either a foam rolling (FR) or eccentric exercise intervention designed to improve dorsiflexion ROM. Participants performed the intervention daily for a duration of four weeks. Measurements of dorsiflexion ROM, isometric plantar flexion torque and drop jump reactive strength index were taken at baseline (pre-intervention) and at three subsequent time-points (30-min post, 24-hours post and 4-weeks post). A significant time x group interaction effect was observed for dorsiflexion (P = 0.036), but not for torque or reactive strength index. For dorsiflexion, there was a significant increase in both acute (30-min; P < 0.001) and chronic (4-week; P < 0.001) ROM for the eccentric group, whilst FR exhibited only an acute improvement (P < 0.001). Eccentric training would appear a more efficacious modality than foam rolling for improving dorsiflexion ROM in elite academy soccer players

The T-REX projec t: Micromegas for rare event searches

Yıldız, Şükrü C. (Dogus Author) -- This paper was firstyly submitted to 2nd International Conference on Particle Physics in Memoriam Engin Arik and Her Colleagues.The T-REX project aims at developing novel readout techniques for Time Projection Chambers for experiments searching for Rare Events. The Micromegas detectors are a good option, because of their good performance regarding low background levels, energy and time resolution, gain and stability of operation. In the present we will shortly refer to two particular cases, on one hand their performance in the CAST experiment and on the other the studies carried out within NEXT, a neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment

Performance of micromegas detectors in the CAST Experiment

Yıldız, Şükrü C. (Dogus Author) -- This paper was firstly submitted to 2nd International Conference on Particle Physics in Memoriam Engin Arik and Her Colleagues.CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) experiment is searching for axions coming from the Sun. Inside transverse magnetic fields, axions can be converted into X-rays, which can be detected by X-ray detectors. The expected energy of the signal in CAST is in the 1-10 keV range. Low noise and low background detectors are necessary to increase the sensitivity of the experiment. Micro Mesh Gaseous Structure (micromegas) detectors have been used in CAST since the beginning, providing good energy and spatial resolution for CAST's needs. CAST has been intensely studying micromegas detectors to develop new technologies. Initially, CAST detectors consisted of a micromegas, a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and a Charged Couple Device (CCD), however the improvements in micromegas technologies encouraged CAST to replace the TPC with 2 new micromegas detectors. In some periods during CAST run, ultra low background has been observed in one of the micromegas detectors and it is being investigated through simulations and laboratory tests carried out at Canfranc Underground Laboratory. If this low background is indeed not a systematic effect, it can open new possibilities on rare event searches