1,103 research outputs found
Short horizons and obesity futures: Disjunctures between public health interventions and everyday temporalities
This paper examines the spatio-temporal disjuncture between ‘the future’ in public health obesity initiatives and the embodied reality of eating. Drawing upon ethnographic fieldwork in a disadvantaged community in South Australia (August 2012–July 2014), we argue that the future oriented discourses of managing risk employed in obesity prevention programs have limited relevance to the immediacy of poverty, contingencies and survival that mark people's day to day lives. Extending Bourdieu's position that temporality is a central feature of practice, we develop the concept of short horizons to offer a theoretical framework to articulate the tensions between public health imperatives of healthy eating, and local ‘tastes of necessity’. Research undertaken at the time of Australia's largest obesity prevention program (OPAL) demonstrates that pre-emptive and risk-based approaches to health can fail to resonate when the future is not within easy reach. Considering the lack of evidence for success of obesity prevention programs, over-reliance on appeals to ‘the future’ may be a major challenge to the design, operationalisation and success of interventions. Attention to local rather than future horizons reveals a range of innovative strategies around everyday food and eating practices, and these capabilities need to be understood and supported in the delivery of obesity interventions. We argue, therefore, that public health initiatives should be located in the dynamics of a living present, tailored to the particular, localised spatio-temporal perspectives and material circumstances in which people live.Megan Warin, Tanya Zivkovic, Vivienne Moore, Paul R. Ward, Michelle Jone
Recoil-Induced-Resonances in Nonlinear, Ground-State, Pump-Probe Spectroscopy
A theory of pump-probe spectroscopy is developed in which optical fields
drive two-photon Raman transitions between ground states of an ensemble of
three-level atoms. Effects related to the recoil the atoms undergo
as a result of their interactions with the fields are fully accounted for in
this theory. The linear absorption coefficient of a weak probe field in the
presence of two pump fields of arbitrary strength is calculated. For subrecoil
cooled atoms, the spectrum consists of eight absorption lines and eight
emission lines. In the limit that , where and
are the Rabi frequencies of the two pump fields, one recovers the
absorption spectrum for a probe field interacting with an effective two-level
atom in the presence of a single pump field. However when , new interference effects arise that allow one to selectively turn on
and off some of these recoil induced resonances.Comment: 30 pages, 8 figures. RevTex. Submitted to Phys. Rev. A, Revised
versio
Advanced architecture for universal machine control
Computer control of machines is now commonplace in industrial, commercial and domestic situations. Digitally controlled equipment is available from many
sources and can be configured in various ways to produce software controlled
industrial machines. However, despite major technological developments in
real-time control there is still a pressing need for a methodology to facilitate
its widespread utilization. The variety of equipment available and range of
manufacturers involved has resulted in the emergence of a great many techniques
and standards relating to communication, information exchange and programming.
However, where standards exist they are often de facto and non-conformity is
common.
The performance capabilities of computer controlled machines should reflect
the state-of-the-art with respect to the enabling technology. Progress both in
technical and commercial terms can be rapid, with frequent changes in the
leading suppliers. No single supplier is likely to have the expertise or
resources to develop and maintain a leading position as the source of all the
items needed to create integrated systems. A system builder wishing to optimize
his design must therefore use proprietary building blocks from a number of
different sources. However, this means that large amounts of time and effort
must be allocated to the development of custom software to integrate different
manufacturer's equipment. The alternative is to limit the choice to known items
from a restricted range of suppliers, but the associated risks are well known.
At best, the system builder is likely to be cut off from the progress of the
technology and at worst he may be unable to obtain equipment support and
supply
A machine control shell for next generation manufacturing machines
There is a growing pressure on many manufacturing oganisations to produce
products in small volumes. However, to date, most automation projects have
centred on high volume production. The major impediment to the application
of programmable automation lies in the high cost of engineering solutions.
Already a range of control system components are available to produce
flexible automation schemes but as yet the selection and use of those
components is a highly specialised exercise which is generally not well
understood. This paper describes the need for an open control architecture
for programmable machines and outlines findings of a proof of concept
research project aimed at formalising the design of control systems. The
work has resulted in a “motion control shell' which can much reduce the
cost and time involved when building machine controllers
Doppler-Free Spectroscopy of Weak Transitions: An Analytical Model Applied to Formaldehyde
Experimental observation of Doppler-free signals for weak transitions can be
greatly facilitated by an estimate for their expected amplitudes. We derive an
analytical model which allows the Doppler-free amplitude to be estimated for
small Doppler-free signals. Application of this model to formaldehyde allows
the amplitude of experimentally observed Doppler-free signals to be reproduced
to within the experimental error.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, v2: many small improvements + corrected
line assignmen
A novel reagentless glutamate microband biosensor for real-time cell toxicity monitoring
A reagentless glutamate biosensor was applied to the determination of glutamate released from liver hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2) in response to toxic challenge from various concentrations of paracetamol. A screen printed carbon electrode (SPCE) containing the electrocatalyst Meldola's Blue (MB-SPCE) served as the electron mediator for the oxidation of NADH.A mixture of the enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and the biopolymer chitosan (CHIT) were drop-coated onto the surface of the transducer (MB-SPCE) in a simple one step fabrication process.The reagentless biosensor was used with amperometry in stirred solution at an applied potential of +0.1 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). All experiments were carried out at the following conditions: pH 7, temperature 37 °C, atmosphere 5% CO2.The linear range of the device was found to be 25–125 μM in phosphate buffer (75 mM, containing 0.05 M NaCl) and 25–150 μM in cell culture medium. The limits of detection (LOD) were found to be 1.2 μM and 4.2 μM based on three times signal to noise, using PBS and culture medium respectively. The sensitivity was calculated to be 106 nA μM−1 cm−2 and 210 nA μM−1 cm−2 in PBS and cell medium respectively. The response time was ∼60 s in an agitated solution.HepG2 cells were exposed to various concentrations of paracetamol (1 mM, 5 mM and 10 mM) in order to investigate the drug-induced release of glutamate into the culture medium in real time. Two toxicity studies were investigated using different methods of exposure and analysis.The first method consisted of a single measurement of the glutamate concentration, using the method of standard addition, after 24 h incubation. The concentrations of glutamate were found to be 52 μM, 93 μM and 177 μM, released on exposure to 1 mM, 5 mM and 10 mM paracetamol respectively.The second method involved the continuous monitoring of glutamate released from HepG2 cells upon exposure to paracetamol over 8 h. The concentrations of glutamate released in the presence of 1 mM, 5 mM and 10 mM paracetamol, increased in proportion to the drug concentration, ie: 16 μM, 28 μM and 62 μM respectively. This result demonstrates the feasibility of using this approach to monitor early metabolic changes after exposure to a model toxic compound
Expert consensus document: Semantics in active surveillance for men with localized prostate cancer — results of a modified Delphi consensus procedure
Active surveillance (AS) is broadly described as a management option for men with low-risk prostate cancer, but semantic heterogeneity exists in both the literature and in guidelines. To address this issue, a panel of leading prostate cancer specialists in the field of AS participated in a consensus-forming project using a modified Delphi method to reach international consensus on definitions of terms related to this management option. An iterative three-round sequence of online questionnaires designed to address 61 individual items was completed by each panel member. Consensus was considered to be reached if ≥70% of the experts agreed on a definition. To facilitate a common understanding among all experts involved and resolve potential ambiguities, a face-to-face consensus meeting was held between Delphi survey rounds two and three. Convenience sampling was used to construct the panel of experts. In total, 12 experts from Australia, France, Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan, the UK, Canada and the USA participated. By the end of the Delphi process, formal consensus was achieved for 100% (n = 61) of the terms and a glossary was then developed. Agreement between international experts has been reached on relevant terms and subsequent definitions regarding AS for patients with localized prostate cancer. This standard terminology could support multidisciplinary communication, reduce the extent of variations in clinical practice and optimize clinical decision making
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