Unpacking the ‘black box’:Implementation evaluation of interventions to improve motor skill competence in children and adolescents.

Despite the irrefutable evidence of the health benefits of adequate physical activity, children and adolescents worldwide are not sufficiently active. Motor skill competence (MC) has been suggested as integral to individuals being able to competently participate in physical activity. However, levels of MC in children and adolescents are low globally. This is despite the preponderance of effective interventions and initiatives promoting MC in schools (e.g., Physical Education), thus highlighting a potential gap between effective MC interventions and sustained routine practice that benefits the wider population (e.g., integration into teaching practice). The process of integrating effective interventions into practice is defined as implementation. To improve the implementation of MC interventions, and thus their translatability into practice, factors that influence the implementation process need greater focus. Yet, implementation research in MC interventions is underdeveloped and limited. This PhD therefore aimed to improve the understanding of the process(es), factors, and strategies relevant to the implementation of MC interventions into routine practice and provide suggestions regarding implementation evaluation.A systematic review was conducted to investigate how process evaluations (a study that examines the intervention process) have been reported in MC interventions and identify any factors that may impact MC intervention outcomes. Only half of the identified intervention studies (n = 30) reported process evaluation and no studies reported (or employed) theoretical frameworks to guide process evaluation. Common process evaluation measures and potential moderators of MC intervention outcomes were identified in this review, but this was insufficient to fully understand the implementation of MC interventions given process evaluation is underused. Subsequently, a systems science approach, namely Collective Intelligence (CI), was employed in three stakeholder consultations in the UK and Ireland to identify barriers to the implementation and sustainability of school-based MC interventions and their interrelationships, as well as design solutions to the barriers. Critical barriers were identified relating to policy, physical education curriculum, and stakeholders’ knowledge and appreciation. A roadmap of actions was created to inform decisions when supporting implementation of MC interventions. The synthesised findings from the review and CI were then used to develop strategies intended to improve the implementation of a specific MC intervention—Project FLAME, followed by a mixed methods evaluation to understand the influences of the strategies on the implementation of the intervention. Findings highlighted that the intervention could be effectively integrated into routine practice, provided adaptations specific to teachers’ practice and students’ needs are made.This PhD research presents the first systematic inquiry into the implementation evaluation of MC interventions. Findings highlighted the complex and context-specific influences on the implementation and sustainability of interventions. The thesis considers the implications for researchers regarding improving evaluation practice, as well as strategies to improve the implementation of MC interventions into practice

Charge carrier dynamics and reaction intermediates in heterogeneous photocatalysis by time-resolved spectroscopies

Sunlight as the most abundant renewable energy holds the promise to make our society sustainable. However, due to its low power density and intermittence, efficient conversion and storage of solar energy as a clean fuel are crucial. Apart from solar fuel synthesis, sunlight can also be used to drive other reactions including organic conversion and air/water purification. Given such potential of photocatalysis, the past few decades have seen a surge in the discovery of photocatalysts. However, the current photocatalytic efficiency is still very moderate. To address this challenge, it is important to understand fundamental factors that dominate the efficiency of a photocatalytic process to enable the rational design and development of photocatalytic systems. Many recent studies highlighted transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) and time-resolved infrared (TRIR) spectroscopy as powerful approaches to characterise charge carrier dynamics and reaction pathways to elucidate the reasons behind low photocatalytic efficiencies, and to rationalise photocatalytic activities exhibited by closely related materials. Accordingly, as a fast-moving area, the past decade has witnessed an explosion in reports on charge carrier dynamics and reaction mechanisms on a wide range of photocatalytic materials. This critical review will discuss the application of TAS and TRIR in a wide range of heterogeneous photocatalytic systems, demonstrating the variety of ways in which these techniques can be used to understand the correlation between materials design, charge carrier behaviour, and photocatalytic activity. Finally, it provides a comprehensive outlook for potential developments in the area of time-resolved spectroscopies with an aim to provide design strategies for photocatalysts

Analysis of national physical activity and sedentary behaviour policies in China

Purpose The aims of this study were to advance knowledge on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour (SB) policies in China and to highlight related gaps and opportunities in the Chinese policy landscape. Methods Literature and web-based searches were performed to identify national PA and SB policies in China. We assessed which of the 17 elements of the Health-Enhancing Physical Activity Policy Audit Tool (HEPA PAT, version 2) are included in each of the policy documents and whether and how they address the ‘cornerstones’ of PA and SB policy: PA and SB guidelines, targets, surveillance and monitoring, and public education programmes. Results We found 60 national PA and SB policies, of which 54 focused on PA only and 6 focused on both PA and SB. There was a rapid increase in the number of policies issued between 2002 and 2021. In totality, the policies include all 17 key elements for a successful national policy approach to PA promotion according to the HEPA PAT. The policies reflect engagement from a range of sectors and encompass PA targets, recommendations for PA and SB, mandates and recommendations for school-related PA, plans for public education on PA, and plans for surveillance and monitoring of PA and SB. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that there has been increasing focus on PA and SB policies in China, which reflects efforts by policymakers to address the health burden of insufficient PA and excessive SB. More emphasis may be placed on SB in Chinese policy, particularly in terms of setting specific targets for population SB. Policymakers and other relevant public health stakeholders in China could also consider developing or adopting the 24-hour movement guidelines, in accordance with recent trends in several other countries. Collaboration and involvement of different sectors in the development and implementation of Chinese PA and SB policies should continue to be facilitated as part of a whole-of-system approach to health promotion

Impact of spatial resolution on air quality simulation: A case study in a highly industrialized area in Shanghai, China

AbstractThe air pollution contribution from highly industrialized areas has been a prominent issue in regional air quality control. Particular emphasis on local industrial emissions is necessary to understand the complexity of air pollution over highly industrialized areas. Baoshan District, one of the most important industrialized areas in China and the most competitive steel and iron production base worldwide, was selected as the study area in this work. The WRF/CMAQ modeling system with local emission profile was applied to study the impact of spatial resolution on air quality modeling. The simulation results for SO2, NO, NO2, CO and PM10 at both 3–km and 1–km resolutions were verified by ground level observations. The results showed that the allocation of the emission inventory is improved by using finer resolution grids, which allow the consideration of detailed emission features. The influence of model resolution was more significant for air quality than for meteorology simulation. The relative errors using the finer resolution method ranged from –25% to 59%, an obvious improvement over the error value of 26%–245% obtained using the coarse resolution method. The changing tendencies of air pollutants in urban and rural areas were generally better modeled at finer than coarser resolution. However, the detailed variation in the most heavily polluted areas was still difficult to capture, and the model performance was not evidently improved by the use of a fine resolution. To improve the model performance over highly industrialized areas for future studies, combining the dynamic emission profile with detailed industrial activities and accurate local meteorological fields is suggested

Enhancing the implementation and sustainability of fundamental movement skill interventions in the UK and Ireland: lessons from collective intelligence engagement with stakeholders

Abstract Background To have population-level impact, physical activity (PA) interventions must be effectively implemented and sustained under real-world conditions. Adequate Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) is integral to children being able to actively participate in play, games, and sports. Yet, few FMS interventions have been implemented at scale, nor sustained in routine practice, and thus it is important to understand the influences on sustained implementation. The study’s aim was to use Collective Intelligence (CI)—an applied systems science approach—with stakeholder groups to understand barriers to the implementation of FMS interventions, interdependencies between these barriers, and options to overcome the system of barriers identified. Methods Three CI sessions were conducted with three separate groups of experienced FMS intervention researchers/practitioners (N = 22) in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Participants generated and ranked barriers they perceive most critical in implementing FMS interventions. Each group developed a structural model describing how highly ranked barriers are interrelated in a system. Participants then conducted action mapping to solve the problem based on the logical relations between barriers reflected in the model. Results The top ranked barriers (of 76) are those related to policy, physical education curriculum, and stakeholders’ knowledge and appreciation. As reflected in the structural model, these barriers have influences over stakeholders’ efficacy in delivering and evaluating interventions. According to this logical structure, 38 solutions were created as a roadmap to inform policy, practice, and research. Collectively, solutions suggest that efforts in implementation and sustainability need to be coordinated (i.e., building interrelationship with multiple stakeholders), and a policy or local infrastructure that supports these efforts is needed. Conclusions The current study is the first to describe the complexity of barriers to implementing and sustaining FMS interventions and provide a roadmap of actions that help navigate through the complexity. By directing attention to the ecological context of FMS intervention research and participation, the study provides researchers, policy makers, and practitioners with a framework of critical components and players that need to be considered when designing and operationalising future projects in more systemic and relational terms

Nearly 100% selective and visible-light-driven methane conversion to formaldehyde via. single-atom Cu and Wδ+

Direct solar-driven methane (CH4) reforming is highly desirable but challenging, particularly to achieve a value-added product with high selectivity. Here, we identify a synergistic ensemble effect of atomically dispersed copper (Cu) species and partially reduced tungsten (Wδ+), stabilised over an oxygen-vacancy-rich WO3, which enables exceptional photocatalytic CH4 conversion to formaldehyde (HCHO) under visible light, leading to nearly 100% selectivity, a very high yield of 4979.0 μmol·g-1 within 2 h, and the normalised mass activity of 8.5 × 106 μmol·g-1Cu·h-1 of HCHO at ambient temperature. In-situ EPR and XPS analyses indicate that the Cu species serve as the electron acceptor, promoting the photo-induced electron transfer from the conduction band to O2, generating reactive •OOH radicals. In parallel, the adjacent Wδ+ species act as the hole acceptor and the preferred adsorption and activation site of H2O to produce hydroxyl radicals (•OH), and thus activate CH4 to methyl radicals (•CH3). The synergy of the adjacent dual active sites boosts the overall efficiency and selectivity of the conversion process