Gender differences in cycling patterns and attitudes towards cycling in a sample of European regular cyclists

Previous research has shown that men cycle more than women and women tent to report less favourable perceptions and attitudes towards cycling than men. Gender differences in perceptions and attitudes towards cycling may be influenced by such difference in bicycle use. Attitudinal differences concerning cycling between male and female may be the consequence and not only the cause of gender imbalance in bicycle use. To our knowledge, no previous research has focused on gender differences in perceptions and attitudes towards cycling involving a sample with gender balance in bicycle use (e.g. regular cyclists). In our study, we investigated gender differences in attitudes towards cycling and towards cycling infrastructure, purpose of cycling, risk perception, and exposure to severe crashes in a large sample of regular cyclists. Following a cross-sectional design, we collected data from 2417 participants from Hungary, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, and United Kingdom. A survey was administered to an online panel of respondents. Gender differences in attitudes towards cycling were small in terms of effect size or non-significant, with women having more positive attitudes in personal benefits rather than mobility benefits. Women reported gender-stereotyped reasons for cycling more than men, except for social activities. Also, women showed higher discomfort than men cycling in mixed traffic and higher risk perception than men. Furthermore, men reported higher exposure to severe crashes than women. We contend that bicycle use and gender role (i.e. society's shared beliefs concerning a range of attitudes, norms, and behaviours that are generally considered appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their actual or perceived sex) can affect differences between male and female cyclists in perceptions, attitudes towards cycling, and cycling behaviours

An exploration of mammographers’ attitudes towards the use of social media for providing breast screening information to clients

Background: Increasingly patients and clients of health services are using social media to locate information about medical procedures and outcomes. There is increasing pressure for health professionals to engage in on-line spaces to provide clear and accurate information to their patient community. Research suggests there are some anxieties on the part of practitioners to do this. This study aimed to explore the attitudes of the NHS breast screening programme workforce towards engaging in online discussions with clients about breast screening. Method: 78 practitioners, representing a range of professional roles within the NHS Breast Screening Programme, attended one of 4 workshops. We used a Nominal Group Technique to identify and rank responses to the question: “What are the challenges that practitioners face in using SoME as part of their role?” Responses were categorised into themes. Participants were also asked to identify solutions to these challenges. Results: Challenges: We identified two overarching themes: (1) Working within boundaries: which was further categorised into (a) Professional/legal accountability; (b) Information accuracy and (c)Time as a boundary, and (2) Support: further categorised into (a) Employer and (b) Manager . Solutions: These included: training in technical and interactional aspects of on-line communication and a responsibility to better understand employer and professional body SoMe policies

Experimental characterization of anti-icing system and accretion of re-emitted droplets on turbojet engine blades

In the framework of STORM, a European project dedicated to icing physics in aircraft engines, a cascade rig representative of an anti-iced engine inlet was tested in icing conditions. This mock-up integrates two rows of vanes, the upstream one being anti-iced using an Electro-Thermal Ice Protection System (ET-IPS). Experimental tests were performed to reproduce the following phenomena: runback water and droplet re-emission from anti-iced vanes, and accretion of re-emitted droplets on downstream vanes. A complete experimental database was generated, including the characterization of ice accretion shapes, and the characterization of electro-thermal anti-icing system (power limit for apparition of the runback water or ice accretion). In the current study, these data are compared to droplet trajectory simulation and ice accretion simulation results, for validating icing tools in engine environment. Influence of one-step and multi-step approaches have been investigated

Studying disruptive events: Innovations in behaviour, opportunities for lower carbon transport policy?

The continued failure to put transport on a robust low carbon transition pathway calls for new approaches in policy and research. In studies of transport systems and patterns of mobility, established approaches to data collection, analysis and subsequent policy design have focused on capturing ‘typical’ conditions rather than identifying the potential for substantive change. This focus on the apparent aggregate stability of the transport regime has reproduced a belief in policy circles that our current travel patterns are largely fixed and therefore very difficult to alter, which in turn has resulted in an over reliance on implausible assumptions about the carbon reductions that can be achieved through technological improvements such as low emission vehicles. This paper argues that there is potentially much greater adaptive capacity in the mobility system than currently allowed for. It illustrates this potential through the investigation of actual adaptations made during a set of specific ‘disruptive’ events. The paper concludes by suggesting that we can go further in reducing the demand for travel if we broaden the scope of intervention to take a wider view of when and how mobility matters to participation in activities across the population. This could enable an acceleration of existing trends which suggest the potential for less mobility and therefore less carbon intensive lives

Measurement of the mass and lifetime of the Ωb−\Omega_b^- baryon

A proton-proton collision data sample, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$ collected by LHCb at $\sqrt{s}=7$ and 8 TeV, is used to reconstruct $63\pm9$ $\Omega_b^-\to\Omega_c^0\pi^-$, $\Omega_c^0\to pK^-K^-\pi^+$ decays. Using the $\Xi_b^-\to\Xi_c^0\pi^-$, $\Xi_c^0\to pK^-K^-\pi^+$ decay mode for calibration, the lifetime ratio and absolute lifetime of the $\Omega_b^-$ baryon are measured to be \begin{align*} \frac{\tau_{\Omega_b^-}}{\tau_{\Xi_b^-}} &= 1.11\pm0.16\pm0.03, \\ \tau_{\Omega_b^-} &= 1.78\pm0.26\pm0.05\pm0.06~{\rm ps}, \end{align*} where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic and from the calibration mode (for $\tau_{\Omega_b^-}$ only). A measurement is also made of the mass difference, $m_{\Omega_b^-}-m_{\Xi_b^-}$, and the corresponding $\Omega_b^-$ mass, which yields \begin{align*} m_{\Omega_b^-}-m_{\Xi_b^-} &= 247.4\pm3.2\pm0.5~{\rm MeV}/c^2, \\ m_{\Omega_b^-} &= 6045.1\pm3.2\pm 0.5\pm0.6~{\rm MeV}/c^2. \end{align*} These results are consistent with previous measurements.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-008.htm

A new algorithm for identifying the flavour of Bs0B_s^0 mesons at LHCb

A new algorithm for the determination of the initial flavour of $B_s^0$ mesons is presented. The algorithm is based on two neural networks and exploits the $b$ hadron production mechanism at a hadron collider. The first network is trained to select charged kaons produced in association with the $B_s^0$ meson. The second network combines the kaon charges to assign the $B_s^0$ flavour and estimates the probability of a wrong assignment. The algorithm is calibrated using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV centre-of-mass energies. The calibration is performed in two ways: by resolving the $B_s^0$-$\bar{B}_s^0$ flavour oscillations in $B_s^0 \to D_s^- \pi^+$ decays, and by analysing flavour-specific $B_{s 2}^{*}(5840)^0 \to B^+ K^-$ decays. The tagging power measured in $B_s^0 \to D_s^- \pi^+$ decays is found to be $(1.80 \pm 0.19({\rm stat}) \pm 0.18({\rm syst}))$\%, which is an improvement of about 50\% compared to a similar algorithm previously used in the LHCb experiment.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-056.htm

Observation of the Bs0→J/ψϕϕB_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi \phi decay

The $B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi \phi$ decay is observed in $pp$ collision data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7 TeV and 8 TeV. This is the first observation of this decay channel, with a statistical significance of 15 standard deviations. The mass of the $B_s^0$ meson is measured to be $5367.08\,\pm \,0.38\,\pm\, 0.15$ MeV/c$^2$. The branching fraction ratio $\mathcal{B}(B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi \phi)/\mathcal{B}(B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi)$ is measured to be 0.0115\,\pm\, 0.0012\, ^{+0.0005}_{-0.0009}. In both cases, the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. No evidence for non-resonant $B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi \phi K^+ K^-$ or $B_s^0 \rightarrow J/\psi K^+ K^- K^+ K^-$ decays is found.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2015-033.htm

Observation of two new Ξb−\Xi_b^- baryon resonances

Two structures are observed close to the kinematic threshold in the $\Xi_b^0 \pi^-$ mass spectrum in a sample of proton-proton collision data, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 fb$^{-1}$ recorded by the LHCb experiment. In the quark model, two baryonic resonances with quark content $bds$ are expected in this mass region: the spin-parity $J^P = \frac{1}{2}^+$ and $J^P=\frac{3}{2}^+$ states, denoted $\Xi_b^{\prime -}$ and $\Xi_b^{*-}$. Interpreting the structures as these resonances, we measure the mass differences and the width of the heavier state to be $m(\Xi_b^{\prime -}) - m(\Xi_b^0) - m(\pi^{-}) = 3.653 \pm 0.018 \pm 0.006$ MeV$/c^2$, $m(\Xi_b^{*-}) - m(\Xi_b^0) - m(\pi^{-}) = 23.96 \pm 0.12 \pm 0.06$ MeV$/c^2$, $\Gamma(\Xi_b^{*-}) = 1.65 \pm 0.31 \pm 0.10$ MeV, where the first and second uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The width of the lighter state is consistent with zero, and we place an upper limit of $\Gamma(\Xi_b^{\prime -}) < 0.08$ MeV at 95% confidence level. Relative production rates of these states are also reported.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figure

Measurement of the ratio of branching fractions BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma)

The ratio of branching fractions of the radiative B decays B0 -> K*0 gamma and Bs0 -> phi gamma has been measured using 0.37 fb-1 of pp collisions at a centre of mass energy of sqrt(s) = 7 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment. The value obtained is BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma)/BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) = 1.12 +/- 0.08 ^{+0.06}_{-0.04} ^{+0.09}_{-0.08}, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third is associated to the ratio of fragmentation fractions fs/fd. Using the world average for BR(B0 -> K*0 gamma) = (4.33 +/- 0.15) x 10^{-5}, the branching fraction BR(Bs0 -> phi gamma) is measured to be (3.9 +/- 0.5) x 10^{-5}, which is the most precise measurement to date.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, 2 table