Virtual geological outcrops - fieldwork and analysis made less exhaustive?

For geologists studying outcrops in the field, there is an ever‐increasing need for the acquisition of accurate and comprehensive data, whatever their purpose. Fortunately, this need is mirrored by an expanding range of digital data capturing technologies that provide the possibility of examining geological outcrops in minute detail from the desktop. Although difficult technologically, there is also a need to combine differing datasets into a single, accurate, digital model that will allow field geologists to place their data in a wider context. This paper examines the techniques available, and highlights new Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology which should prove to be a unifying technique, being able to combine images and local coordinates on‐site

Are Intervention-Design Characteristics More Predictive than Baseline Participant Characteristics on Participant Attendance to a Paediatric, Community Weight Management Programme?

BACKGROUND: Approximately 50% of participants complete a paediatric weight management programme, yet the predictors of attendance and dropout are inconsistent. This study investigates subject and intervention-design characteristics associated with attendance at a group based, family weight management programme. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Secondary data analysis of 2948 subjects (Age 10.4±2.8 years, BMI 26.0±5.7kg/m2, Standardised BMI (BMI SDS) 2.48±0.87, White 70.3%) from 244 MoreLife (UK) programmes. Subjects attend weekly for 10-12 weeks, sessions last 2-3 hours. Sessions include lifestyle guidance and physical activity. METHOD: Subject characteristics (demographics, psychological (body satisfaction & self-esteem) and sedentary behaviour) were gathered at first contact and BMI SDS was noted weekly. Intervention-design characteristics were recorded (year, length (weeks), group size, age segregation and day of session). Attendance was calculated as total number of sessions attended (%). Multivariate linear regression examined predictors of attendance and multiple imputation countered missing data. RESULTS: Average attendance was 59.4%±29.3%. Baseline subject characteristics were ‘poor’ predictors of attendance. Intervention year, group size and day of session significantly predicted attendance (Tables 1 & 2). Yet, the most predictive marker of attendance was a change in BMI SDS during the programme (B = -0.38, 95% CI = -0.43 - -0.33). CONCLUSION: A reduction in BMI was seen to predict greater attendance. However, baseline subject characteristics were weakly associated with attendance, refuting past findings. Dominant intervention characteristics (large groups, weekend sessions and recent delivery) predicted lower attendance. Future programmes may be better informed

Investigating Key Implementation Factors for Engaging Men in Health Interventions in English Premier League Football Clubs using Delphi Poll/Card Sort Techniques

Objective: This research developed a card sort kit (CSK) to investigate the key implementation factors for how men are Reached, Adopt, Change and Maintain physical activity and health behaviours within a bespoke men’s health improvement service delivered in English Premier League Football Clubs, (EPLFC). Methods: A sequential and iterative three step process with 16 Health Trainers (HTs) delivering men’s health interventions in EPLFC led to the generation of a CSK to investigate the key implementation factors across four behavioural phases. A Delphi poll (DP) involved three steps, (Gilson et al., 2009). Step 1, used data collected through semi-structured interviews with n=13 HTs. Thematic analysis by two researchers generated a list of key implementation factors. Step 2, involved n=15 HTs, each delivering a 20 minute presentations regarding how men are Reached, Adopt, Change and Maintain health interventions in EPLFC. ‘The list’ of implementation factors was subsequently refreshed. Using the revised ‘list’, a CSK was professionally produced showing: (I) Images and words representing the key implementation factors and (II) a map showing the four behavioural phases, (Reach, Adopt, Change and Maintain). Step 3, following piloting and fine-tuning, further semi-structured interviews were undertaken with n=14 HTs responsible for delivering the interventions (Pringle et al., 2014). Using the CSK, HTs identified and ranked the top five key implementation factors in four behavioural phases (1 = Most Important-5 = Least Important). Scores from HTs on the key implementation factors in each phase were aggregated and ranked. Results: The ‘top five’ key implementation factors in each behavioural phase were: Reach: 1.The Club, 2.male friendly, 3.comfortable for men, 4.partner with men’s health agencies, 5.use existing channels to reach men. Adoption: 1.Flexibility, 2.delivery staff, 3.weekly programme, 4.the Club, 5.male friendly. Change: 1.Delivery staff, 2.meeting men’s needs, 3.goal setting/self-monitoring, 4.weekly programmes, 5.building self-confidence. Maintenance: 1.Delivery staff, 2.keeping men involved, 3.goal setting/self-monitoring, 4.partnerships, 5.social support. Conclusions: Identifying the active ingredients of health interventions is crucial for implementation. This study provides insights into the methods to achieve this, that is engaging for its participants, and informative for health systems looking to provide health improvement outcome

"Football is pure enjoyment": An exploration of the behaviour change processes which facilitate engagement in football for people with mental health problems.

Introduction: Physical activity is known to be beneficial for people with mental health problems, although engagement is low. Football, provided by professional football club community trusts could aid engagement in physical activity, however little is known about the behaviour change processes which engage individuals in this type of PA. One factor which is often overlooked is affect and exploring this could help identify the behaviour change processes, which engage individuals in a professional football club-led mental health intervention. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of individuals attending football provided by a professional club community trust to further our understanding of the behaviour change processes involved in facilitating engagement in this provision

Scars of intense accretion episodes at metal-rich white dwarfs

A re-evaluation of time-averaged accretion rates at DBZ-type white dwarfs points to historical, time-averaged rates significantly higher than the currently observed episodes at their DAZ counterparts. The difference between the ongoing, instantaneous accretion rates witnessed at DAZ white dwarfs, which often exceed 10 8gs -1, and those inferred over the past 10 5-10 6yr for the DBZ stars can be of a few orders of magnitude, and therefore must result from high-rate episodes of tens to hundreds of years so that they remain undetected to date. This paper explores the likelihood that such brief, intense accretion episodes of gas-phase material can account for existing data. For reasonable assumptions about the circumstellar gas, accretion rates approaching or exceeding 10 15gs -1 are possible, similar to rates observed in quiescent cataclysmic variables, and potentially detectable with future X-ray missions or wide-field monitoring facilities. Gaseous debris that is prone to such rapid accretion may be abundant immediately following a tidal disruption event via collisions and sublimation, or if additional bodies impinge upon an extant disc. Particulate disc matter accretes at or near the Poynting-Robertson drag rate for long periods between gas-producing events, consistent with rates inferred for dusty DAZ white dwarfs. In this picture, warm DAZ stars without infrared excesses have rates consistent with accretion from particulate discs that remain undetected. This overall picture has implications for quasi-steady state models of accretion and the derived chemical composition of asteroidal debris in DBZ white dwarfs