1,316 research outputs found
Optimization of a charge-state analyzer for ECRIS beams
A detailed experimental and simulation study of the extraction of a 24 keV
He-ion beam from an ECR ion source and the subsequent beam transport through an
analyzing magnet is presented. We find that such a slow ion beam is very
sensitive to space-charge forces, but also that the neutralization of the
beam's space charge by secondary electrons is virtually complete for beam
currents up to at least 0.5 mA. The beam emittance directly behind the
extraction system is 65 pi mm mrad and is determined by the fact that the ion
beam is extracted in the strong magnetic fringe field of the ion source. The
relatively large emittance of the beam and its non-paraxiality lead, in
combination with a relatively small magnet gap, to significant beam losses and
a five-fold increase of the effective beam emittance during its transport
through the analyzing magnet. The calculated beam profile and phase-space
distributions in the image plane of the analyzing magnet agree well with
measurements. The kinematic and magnet aberrations have been studied using the
calculated second-order transfer map of the analyzing magnet, with which we can
reproduce the phase-space distributions of the ion beam behind the analyzing
magnet. Using the transfer map and trajectory calculations we have worked out
an aberration compensation scheme based on the addition of compensating
hexapole components to the main dipole field by modifying the shape of the
poles. The simulations predict that by compensating the kinematic and geometric
aberrations in this way and enlarging the pole gap the overall beam transport
efficiency can be increased from 16 to 45%
Interrupting long periods of sitting: Good STUFF
There is increasing evidence that sedentary behaviour is in itself a health risk, regardless of the daily amount of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Therefore, sedentary behaviour should be targeted as important health behaviour. It is known that even relatively small changes of health behaviour often require serious efforts from an individual and from people in their environment to become part of their lifestyle. Therefore, interventions to promote healthy behaviours should ideally be simple, easy to perform and easily available. Since sitting is likely to be highly habitual, confrontation with an intervention should almost automatically elicit a reaction of getting up, and thus break up and reduce sitting time. One important prerequisite for successful dissemination of such an intervention could be the use of a recognisable term relating to sedentary behaviour, which should have the characteristics of an effective brand name. To become wide spread, this term may need to meet three criteria: the âLaw of the fewâ, the âStickiness factorâ, and the âPower of contextâ. For that purpose we introduce STUFF: Stand Up For Fitness. STUFF can be defined as âinterrupting long sitting periods by short breaksâ, for instance, interrupting sitting every 30 min by standing for at least five minutes. Even though we still need evidence to test the health-enhancing effects of interrupted sitting, we hope that the introduction of STUFF will facilitate the testing of the social, psychological and health effects of interventions to reduce sitting time
Electro-optical switching by liquid-crystal controlled metasurfaces
We study the optical response of a metamaterial surface created by a lattice
of split-ring resonators covered with a nematic liquid crystal and demonstrate
millisecond timescale switching between electric and magnetic resonances of the
metasurface. This is achieved due to a high sensitivity of liquid-crystal
molecular reorientation to the symmetry of the metasurface as well as to the
presence of a bias electric field. Our experiments are complemented by
numerical simulations of the liquid-crystal reorientation.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
General and food-specific parenting: measures and interplay
BACKGROUND: Parental influence on child food intake is typically conceptualized at three levelsâparenting practices, feeding style, and parenting style. General parenting style is modeled at the most distal level of influence and food parenting practices are conceptualized as the most proximal level of influence. The goal of this article is to provide insights into contents and explanatory value of instruments that have been applied to assess food parenting practices, feeding style, and parenting style. METHODS: Measures of food parenting practices, feeding style, and parenting style were reviewed, compared, and contrasted with regard to contents, explanatory value, and interrelationships. RESULTS: Measures that are used in the field often fail to cover the full scope and complexity of food parenting. Healthy parenting dimensions have generally been found to be positively associated with child food intake (i.e., healthier dietary intake and less intake of energy-dense food products and sugar-sweetened beverages), but effect sizes are low. Evidence for the operation of higher-order moderation has been found, in which the impact of proximal parental influences is moderated by more distal levels of parenting. CONCLUSIONS: Operationalizing parenting at different levels, while applying a contextual higher-order moderation approach, is advocated to have surplus value in understanding the complex process of parentâchild interactions in the area of food intake. A research paradigm is presented that may guide future work regarding the conceptualization and modeling of parental influences on child dietary behavior
The coaching on lifestyle (CooL) intervention for obesity, a study protocol for an action-oriented mixed-methods study
Background: Combined lifestyle interventions (CLIs) have proved to be effective in changing and maintaining behavioural lifestyle changes and reducing overweight and obesity, in clinical and real-world settings. In this CLI, lifestyle coaches are expected to promote lifestyle changes of participants regarding physical activity and diet. In the Coaching on Lifestyle (CooL) intervention, which takes a period of 8 to 10 months, lifestyle coaches counsel adults and children aged 4 years and older (and their parents) who are obese or are overweight with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases or type II diabetes. In group and individual sessions, themes such as physical activity, dietary behaviours, sleep and stress are addressed. The aim of the present study is to monitor the implementation process of the CooL intervention and to examine how the lifestyle coaches contribute to a healthier lifestyle of the participants. Methods: This action-oriented study involves monitoring the implementation process of the CooL intervention and examining the lifestyle changes achieved by participants over time, in a one-group pre-post design using mixed methods. Methods include semi-structured interviews, observations, document analysis, biomedical parameters and questionnaires. Discussion: The added value of the CooL study lies in its action-oriented approach and the use of mixed methods, including both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The long-term coaching used in the CooL intervention is expected to have beneficial effects on sustained lifestyle changes
Ethnic differences in BMI among Dutch adolescents: what is the role of screen-viewing, active commuting to school, and consumption of soft drinks and high-caloric snacks?
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The threats posed by the rising prevalence of overweight and obesity on public health have been widely acknowledged. Several population groups, which deserve special attention because of their higher prevalence rates, have been identified. These include adolescents and ethnic sub-groups. The aim of the present study was twofold: (1) to assess ethnic differences in body mass index (BMI) and in behaviours that are related to both energy intake and energy expenditure, and (2) to examine whether these behaviours explain the relationship between ethnicity and BMI.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted a cross-sectional data analysis among 957 Dutch adolescents (mean age = 12.7 years). Body height and weight were measured using a standardized protocol. Adolescents completed a questionnaire on screen-viewing behaviour, physical activity, consumption of sugar-containing beverages, and consumption of high-caloric snacks.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In our study sample 121 adolescents (= 13%) were of Non-Western origin. BMI was significantly higher in Non-Western adolescents (boys: 19.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, SD = 3.0, girls: 20.9 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, SD = 3.8) compared to Dutch adolescents (boys: 18.4 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, SD = 2.8, girls: 19.0 kg/m<sup>2</sup>, SD = 3.0). Our results show that time spent on television viewing, active commuting to school, and consumption of fruit juices partially mediated the association between BMI and ethnicity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Behaviours related to both energy expenditure and energy intake may contribute to the ethnic differences in BMI in adolescents and should be considered when tailoring overweight prevention programs to ethnic subpopulations.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN87127361</p
Techno-enviro-economic assessment of household and community energy storage in the UK
Residential electricity demand is expected to rise in the next few decades due to the electrification of heating and transport. Both European and UK national policies suggest that efforts should be made to reduce carbon emissions and increase the share of renewable energy, an important element of which is encouraging generation, typically PV, in partnership with energy storage systems in the residential sector. The scale of the energy storage system is important, i.e. in individual properties or as a community resource. Many advantages of community energy storage (CES) over household energy storage (HES) have been identified, but the design and operation of CES has received significantly less attention. Most existing research has analysed CES at community level only, but the performance and impact on individual households has yet to be fully explored. In this study an agent-based model is proposed to investigate and analyse CES based on a range of criteria. Results indicate that
both HES and CES can significantly reduce the grid peak power import and export, improve the community self-consumption rate (SCR) and self-sufficiency rate (SSR), and contribute to much higher energy saving. Furthermore, optimising the CES capacity leads to more effective use of PV power and better demand localisation during high PV-generation periods. It is found that an important challenge for CES systems is to realise the value of the shared electricity equitably amongst the participants and potentially to seek other revenue streams
Plasmonic nanoparticle monomers and dimers: From nano-antennas to chiral metamaterials
We review the basic physics behind light interaction with plasmonic
nanoparticles. The theoretical foundations of light scattering on one metallic
particle (a plasmonic monomer) and two interacting particles (a plasmonic
dimer) are systematically investigated. Expressions for effective particle
susceptibility (polarizability) are derived, and applications of these results
to plasmonic nanoantennas are outlined. In the long-wavelength limit, the
effective macroscopic parameters of an array of plasmonic dimers are
calculated. These parameters are attributable to an effective medium
corresponding to a dilute arrangement of nanoparticles, i.e., a metamaterial
where plasmonic monomers or dimers have the function of "meta-atoms". It is
shown that planar dimers consisting of rod-like particles generally possess
elliptical dichroism and function as atoms for planar chiral metamaterials. The
fabricational simplicity of the proposed rod-dimer geometry can be used in the
design of more cost-effective chiral metamaterials in the optical domain.Comment: submitted to Appl. Phys.
- âŚ