6,470 research outputs found
Discussion of: A statistical analysis of multiple temperature proxies: Are reconstructions of surface temperatures over the last 1000 years reliable?
Discussion of "A statistical analysis of multiple temperature proxies: Are
reconstructions of surface temperatures over the last 1000 years reliable?" by
B.B. McShane and A.J. Wyner [arXiv:1104.4002]Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-AOAS398F the Annals of
Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of
Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
Reaching older people with PA delivered in football clubs: the reach, adoption and implementation characteristics of the Extra Time Programme.
Background Older adults (OA) represent a core priority group for physical activity and Public Health policy. As a result, significant interest is placed on how to optimise adherence to interventions promoting these approaches. Extra Time (ET) is an example of a national programme of physical activity interventions delivered in professional football clubs for OA aged 55+ years. This paper aims to examine the outcomes from ET, and unpick the processes by which these outcomes were achieved. Methods This paper represents a secondary analysis of data collected during the evaluation of ET. From the 985 OA reached by ET, n=486 adopted the programme and completed post-intervention surveys (typically 12 weeks). We also draw on interview data with 18 ET participants, and 7 staff who delivered the programme. Data were subject to thematic analysis to generate overarching and sub themes. Results Of the 486 participants, the majority 95%, (n= 462) were White British and 59.7% (n=290) were female. Most adopters (65.4%/n=318) had not participated in previous interventions in the host clubs. Social interaction was the most frequently reported benefit of participation (77.2%, n=375). While the reach of the club badge was important in letting people know about the programme, further work enhanced adoption and satisfaction. These factors included (i) listening to participants, (ii) delivering a flexible age-appropriate programme of diverse physical and social activities, (iii) offering activities which satisfy energy drives and needs for learning and (iv) extensive opportunities for social engagement. Conclusions Findings emerging from this study indicate that physical activity and health interventions delivered through professional football clubs can be effective for engaging OA
'Improper practices' in great war British cinemas
in Hammond, M and Williams, (Eds), British Silent Cinema and the Great War (2011), Palgrave Macmillan; reproduced with permission of Palgrave Macmillan. This extract is taken from the author's original manuscript and has not been edited. The definitive, published, version of record is available here: http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=493370Analysis of the environment in which films were viewed is essential in order to gain a fuller understanding of the British cinema experience during the Great War. The exhibition context is of particular importance during the war years, as cinema going throughout this period was far from idyllic; in fact, British cinemas were subject to police scrutiny and were a hub of sexual activity that the government strove to suppress. Many critics have located the reports of these activities as part of a wider âmoral panicâ regarding the cinema and the films exhibited within it, predominantly orchestrated by religious pressure groups and self-styled âmoral crusadersâ. Lise Shapiro Sanders likens this movement to similar campaigns in the nineteenth century, arguing that, like music halls previously, cinemas were subjected to âcensorship and ideological control in an endeavour to distribute middle-class codes of social practice to the âlowerâ classesâ. Yet this approach has often been based on the findings of a report by the National Council for Public Morals, with little investigation of the actual data supplied to the committee. Even accounts that have used some of this evidence position it as a minor component, exaggerated out of all proportion in order to satisfy the personal objectives of the moral purity campaigners.While there was a concerted effort throughout the Great War to highlight the perceived social ills of the cinema, I have attempted to present a more balanced account, which details the problems faced by cinemas during this period and the measures sought to improve them
Folding model analysis of alpha radioactivity
Radioactive decay of nuclei via emission of particles has been
studied theoretically in the framework of a superasymmetric fission model using
the double folding (DF) procedure for obtaining the -nucleus
interaction potential. The DF nuclear potential has been obtained by folding in
the density distribution functions of the nucleus and the daughter
nucleus with a realistic effective interaction. The M3Y effective interaction
has been used for calculating the nuclear interaction potential which has been
supplemented by a zero-range pseudo-potential for exchange along with the
density dependence. The nuclear microscopic -nucleus potential thus
obtained has been used along with the Coulomb interaction potential to
calculate the action integral within the WKB approximation. This subsequently
yields microscopic calculations for the half lives of decays of
nuclei. The density dependence and the exchange effects have not been found to
be very significant. These calculations provide reasonable estimates for the
lifetimes of radioactivity of nuclei.Comment: 7 pages including 1 figur
Experimental evidence of antiproton reflection by a solid surface
We report here experimental evidence of the reflection of a large fraction of
a beam of low energy antiprotons by an aluminum wall. This derives from the
analysis of a set of annihilations of antiprotons that come to rest in rarefied
helium gas after hitting the end wall of the apparatus. A Monte Carlo
simulation of the antiproton path in aluminum indicates that the observed
reflection occurs primarily via a multiple Rutherford-style scattering on Al
nuclei, at least in the energy range 1-10 keV where the phenomenon is most
visible in the analyzed data. These results contradict the common belief
according to which the interactions between matter and antimatter are dominated
by the reciprocally destructive phenomenon of annihilation.Comment: 5 pages with 5 figure
Searching for keV Sterile Neutrino Dark Matter with X-ray Microcalorimeter Sounding Rockets
High-resolution X-ray spectrometers onboard suborbital sounding rockets can
search for dark matter candidates that produce X-ray lines, such as decaying
keV-scale sterile neutrinos. Even with exposure times and effective areas far
smaller than XMM-Newton and Chandra observations, high-resolution, wide
field-of-view observations with sounding rockets have competitive sensitivity
to decaying sterile neutrinos. We analyze a subset of the 2011 observation by
the X-ray Quantum Calorimeter instrument centered on Galactic coordinates l =
165, b = -5 with an effective exposure of 106 seconds, obtaining a limit on the
sterile neutrino mixing angle of sin^2(2 theta) < 7.2e-10 at 95% CL for a 7 keV
neutrino. Better sensitivity at the level of sin^2(2 theta) ~ 2.1e-11 at 95\%
CL for a 7 keV neutrino is achievable with future 300-second observations of
the galactic center by the Micro-X instrument, providing a definitive test of
the sterile neutrino interpretation of the reported 3.56 keV excess from galaxy
clusters.Comment: 13 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Ap
Preventive measures in infancy to reduce under-five mortality: a case-control study in The Gambia.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between child mortality and common preventive interventions: vaccination, trained birthing attendants, tetanus toxoid during pregnancy, breastfeeding and vitamin A supplementation. METHODS: Case-control study in a population under demographic surveillance. Cases (n = 141) were children under five who died. Each was age and sex-matched to five controls (n = 705). Information was gathered by interviewing primary caregivers. RESULTS: All but one of the interventions - whether the mother had received tetanus toxoid during pregnancy - were protective against child mortality after multivariate analysis. Having a trained person assisting at child birth (OR 0.2 95% CI 0.1-0.4), receiving all vaccinations by 9 months of age (OR 0.1; 95% CI 0.01-0.3), being breastfed for more than 12 months (Children breastfed between 13 and 24 months OR 0.1 95% CI 0.03-0.3, more than 25 months OR 0.1 95% CI 0.01-0.5) and receiving vitamin A supplementation at or after 6 months of age (OR 0.05; 95% CI 0.01-0.2) were protective against child death. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the value of at least four available interventions in the prevention of under-five death in The Gambia. It is now important to identify those who are not receiving them and why, and to intervene to improve coverage across the population
Economic compensation interventions to increase uptake of voluntary medical male circumcision for HIV prevention: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
BackgroundEconomic compensation interventions may help support higher voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) coverage in priority sub-Saharan African countries. To inform World Health Organization guidelines, we conducted a systematic review of economic compensation interventions to increase VMMC uptake.MethodsEconomic compensation interventions were defined as providing money or in-kind compensation, reimbursement for associated costs (e.g. travel, lost wages), or lottery entry. We searched five electronic databases and four scientific conferences for studies examining the impact of such interventions on VMMC uptake, HIV testing and safer-sex/risk-reduction counseling uptake within VMMC, community expectations about compensation, and potential coercion. We screened citations, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias in duplicate. We conducted random-effects meta-analysis. We also reviewed studies examining acceptability, values/preferences, costs, and feasibility.ResultsOf 2484 citations identified, five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and three non-randomized controlled trials met our eligibility criteria. Studies took place in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Meta-analysis of four RCTs showed significant impact of any economic compensation on VMMC uptake (relative risk: 5.23, 95% CI: 3.13 to 8.76). RCTs of food/transport vouchers and conditional cash transfers generally showed increases in VMMC uptake, but lotteries, subsidized VMMC, and receiving a gift appeared somewhat less effective. Three non-randomized trials showed mixed impact. Six additional studies suggested economic compensation interventions were generally acceptable, valued for addressing key barriers, and motivating to men. However, some participants felt they were insufficiently motivating or necessary; one study suggested they might raise community suspicions. One study from South Africa found a program cost of US450-$1350 per HIV infection averted.ConclusionsEconomic compensation interventions, particularly transport/food vouchers, positively impacted VMMC uptake among adult men and were generally acceptable to potential clients. Carefully selected economic interventions may be a useful targeted strategy to enhance VMMC coverage
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