41,867 research outputs found
Physical Education or Playtime: which is more effective at promoting physical activity in primary school children?
Background
School physical education (PE) and playtime provide important opportunities for physical activity (PA). However, little research has assessed PA during primary school PE using accelerometry or compared PA during different lesson types. There is also a lack of research comparing PA during PE and playtime, despite suggestions that playtime promotes more PA. The primary aim of this study was to determine which types of PE lesson are most facilitative of PA. The secondary aim was to determine whether children are more active during PE or playtime.
Methods
Descriptive and fitness data were assessed in 20 children aged 8-9years from a single school. Over eight consecutive weeks PA was assessed during PE lessons, which were classified as either team games or movement activities. At the mid-week of data collection playtime PA was also assessed. PA was assessed using accelerometry and the percentage of time spent in moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) calculated. Paired t-tests were used to compare MVPA during movement lessons and team games lessons and during PE and playtime.
Results
Children spent 9.5% of PE lessons in MVPA and engaged in significantly more MVPA during team games (Pâ<â0.001). MVPA was also significantly higher during PE than playtime (Pâ<â0.01).
Conclusions
Children do not engage in sufficient PA during PE, but are most active during team games lessons; whilst PA during playtime is lower than PE. Interventions to increase PA during both PE and playtime are therefore required. PE interventions should target games lessons as they dominate the curriculum, encourage most PA and present the greatest potential for change. Playtime interventions should encourage participation in active games through the provision of playground equipment and markings
Topological restrictions for circle actions and harmonic morphisms
Let be a compact oriented smooth manifold which admits a smooth circle
action with isolated fixed points which are isolated as singularities as well.
Then all the Pontryagin numbers of are zero and its Euler number is
nonnegative and even. In particular, has signature zero. Since a
non-constant harmonic morphism with one-dimensional fibres gives rise to a
circle action we have the following applications: (i) many compact manifolds,
for example , surfaces, () where
is the closed surface of genus can never be the domain of a
non-constant harmonic morphism with one-dimensional fibres whatever metrics we
put on them; (ii) let be a compact orientable four-manifold and
a non-constant harmonic morphism. Suppose that one of
the following assertions holds: (1) is half-conformally flat and its
scalar curvature is zero, (2) is Einstein and half-conformally flat,
(3) is Hermitian-Einstein. Then, up to homotheties and Riemannian
coverings, is the canonical projection between flat tori.Comment: 18 pages; Minor corrections to Proposition 3.1 and small changes in
Theorem 2.8, proof of Theorem 3.3 and Remark 3.
B-field Determination from Magnetoacoustic Oscillations in kHz QPO Neutron Star Binaries: Theory and Observations
We present a method for determining the B-field around neutron stars based on
observed kHz and viscous QPO frequencies used in combination with the best-fit
optical depth and temperature of a Comptonization model. In the framework of
the transition layer QPO model, we analyze magnetoacoustic wave formation in
the layer between a neutron star surface and the inner edge of a Keplerian
disk. We derive formulas for the magnetoacoustic wave frequencies for different
regimes of radial transition layer oscillations. We demonstrate that our model
can use the QPO as a new kind of probe to determine the magnetic field
strengths for 4U 1728-42, GX 340+0, and Sco X-1 in the zone where the QPOs
occur. Observations indicate that the dependence of the viscous frequency on
the Keplerian frequency is closely related to the inferred dependence of the
magnetoacoustic wave frequency on the Keplerian frequency for a dipole magnetic
field. The magnetoacoustic wave dependence is based on a single parameter, the
magnetic moment of the star as estimated from the field strength in the
transition layer. The best-fit magnetic moment parameter is about (0.5-1)x
10^{25} G cm^3 for all studied sources. From observational data, the magnetic
fields within distances less 20 km from neutron star for all three sources are
strongly constrained to be dipole fields with the strengths 10^{7-8} G on the
neutron star surface.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure, accepted for the Astrophysical Journal Letter
Proof of Luck: an Efficient Blockchain Consensus Protocol
In the paper, we present designs for multiple blockchain consensus primitives
and a novel blockchain system, all based on the use of trusted execution
environments (TEEs), such as Intel SGX-enabled CPUs. First, we show how using
TEEs for existing proof of work schemes can make mining equitably distributed
by preventing the use of ASICs. Next, we extend the design with proof of time
and proof of ownership consensus primitives to make mining energy- and
time-efficient. Further improving on these designs, we present a blockchain
using a proof of luck consensus protocol. Our proof of luck blockchain uses a
TEE platform's random number generation to choose a consensus leader, which
offers low-latency transaction validation, deterministic confirmation time,
negligible energy consumption, and equitably distributed mining. Lastly, we
discuss a potential protection against up to a constant number of compromised
TEEs.Comment: SysTEX '16, December 12-16, 2016, Trento, Ital
Spectropolarimetry of the H-alpha line in Herbig Ae/Be stars
Using the HiVIS spectropolarimeter built for the Haleakala 3.7m AEOS
telescope, we have obtained a large number of high precision spectropolarimetrc
observations (284) of Herbig AeBe stars collected over 53 nights totaling more
than 300 hours of observing. Our sample of five HAeBe stars: AB Aurigae,
MWC480, MWC120, MWC158 and HD58647, all show systematic variations in the
linear polarization amplitude and direction as a function of time and
wavelength near the H-alpha line. In all our stars, the H-alpha line profiles
show evidence of an intervening disk or outflowing wind, evidenced by strong
emission with an absorptive component. The linear polarization varies by 0.2%
to 1.5% with the change typically centered in the absorptive part of the line
profile. These observations are inconsistent with a simple disk-scattering
model or a depolarization model which produce polarization changes centered on
the emmissive core. We speculate that polarized absorption via optical pumping
of the intervening gas may be the cause.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
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Mechanical Properties and Biological Responses of Bioactive Glass Ceramics Processed using Indirect SLS
This paper will report on research which aims to generate bone replacement components by
processing bioactive glass-ceramic powders using indirect selective laser sintering. The indirect
SLS route has been chosen as it offers the ability to tailor the shape of the implant to the
implantation site, and two bioactive glass ceramic materials have been processed through this
route: apatite-mullite and apatite-wollostanite. The results of bend tests, to investigate
mechanical properties, and in vitro and in vivo experiments to investigate biological responses of
the materials will be reported, and the suitability of completed components for implant will be
assessed.Mechanical Engineerin
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