A qualitative exploration of social motivational influences in determining the physical activity of 30–60 year old adults

Introduction: Adults over 60–65 years old are a group considered vulnerable to the risks of sedentary lifestyle causing decreased quality of life and poor health. Australian government figures estimate the number of over 65s will reach 8.1 million by 2056, and 11.2 million by 2101. One key opportunity to prevent sedentary lifestyles in older adults is to understand and promote motivation towards physical activity in middle-aged adults. This study qualitatively examined the motivationally relevant behaviours (‘motivational atmosphere’) of key social agents towards physical activity and sedentary lifestyles in adults between 30 and 60 years of age. Methodology: Twenty participants (32–60 years old) of varying activity levels were recruited from local workplaces and a GP referral scheme. Participants took part in semi-structured interviews to examine which social agents affected their motivation towards PA and how/why. A critical rationalist philosophy was deployed in the gathering and analysis of data. Results: Using inductive content analysis, 307 raw themes were coded into 38 categories and five higher dimensions, labelled: (1) providing information and impetus; (2) supporting progress and competence; (3) affiliation and belongingness; (4) logistical considerations; and (5) emotional support. Spouses, close family, work colleagues, GPs and the media were perceived to be highly influential social agents, with many others listed (e.g., personal trainers, local government). Whilst spouses, family and work colleagues influenced motivation through ‘leading-by-example’, ‘reminding/persuading’ and ‘support/encouragement’, GPs and the media were more likely to exert an influence by offering advice, guidance and recommendations, or in some cases ‘sounding-the-alarm-bell’. The consistency of messages from these different agents (media, health professionals, friends/family) was also noted as a key determinant of attitudes and actions. Whilst health was often central to participants’ responses, social interactions and friendships were also key reasons people gave for becoming or staying active (and for being sedentary). Further, there was preliminary evidence that the sources and types of influence changed as a function of current activity level. Conclusion: The results facilitate future interventions by suggesting specific behavioural recommendations in relation to known social agents, as well as guiding theoretical development/ refinement. The findings suggest that interventions should encompass psychological and social as-well-as health considerations, and that health professionals must understand the ‘motivational atmosphere’ of each client. Finally, the findings suggest that future research and modelling should adopt methodologies that better address the complexity inherent in the social determination of motivation

Heterogeneously catalysed isomerisation of allylbenzene

The current method for the isomerisation of aromatic alkenes involves super stoichiometric quantities of liquid base (KOH) in higher alcohols [1-7]. Acid catalysis of such transformations produces a cis:trans ratio near to one [8]. It is well documented that solid bases catalyse double bond migration through the abstraction of an allylic proton forming an anionic intermediate [9-11]. Solid bases hold a significant advantage over acid catalysis as they promote double bond migration without carbon-carbon bond interruption [12]. In addition, solid base catalysts provide an environmentally benign method of producing a mixture of cis/trans isomers, which could potentially find application in the pharmaceutical [13] and perfumery industries [14]. Activated potassium carbonate supported on alumina was found to be active at 50°C for the isomerisation of allylbenzene. Where isomerisation of aliphatic alkenes has reportedly given high cis:trans ratios, the isomerisation of aromatic alkenes appears to favour the formation of the trans-isomer. The formation of the trans-isomer suggests that the thermodynamic stability of this isomer controls the outcome of the reaction. The optimum K2CO3 loading was found to be 15% with higher loadings leading to pore blockage and reduced surface areas. Spray impregnation was found to produce an active catalyst that produced high conversions, which however rapidly became deactivated. The alumina supplier had a significant effect on the product alkene selectivity. Engelhard AL-3992E was found to produce a catalyst that allowed for high product selectivity. Catalyst deactivation occurred via two processes. BET analysis showed a 25% reduction in surface area post reaction which, served as evidence of coke formation. Additionally, TGA-DSC analysis showed that under thermal treatment benzene was desorbed from the catalyst post reaction. It is thought that aromatic reactants/products act as poisons. Chemisorption through multiple bonds and back-bonding [15] causes aromatic species to block active sites required for further reaction. It was also noted that with increasing LHSV, the deactivation of the catalyst increased. This led to the determination of a negative first order of reaction, with respect to the concentration of allylbenzene

Young people who offend and mental health : co-design 'Across the Line'

PhD ThesisThe mental health needs of young people who offend have become more widely recognised and a priority for the government and health agencies. Young people who offend experience a range of complex difficulties and have significantly worse health and social outcomes than their mainstream counterparts that persist and often increase in severity through childhood and later life. A wealth of research has been undertaken that focuses on young people’s health and well-being in the secure estate (e.g. custody) however, there is less research exploring the mental health experiences of young people who offend in community forensic settings. There is growing acceptance of the potential value of co-designing services that recognise and address problems to improve the outcomes of this population group yet to date, this remains relatively unexplored. The aim of this research was to explore, using qualitative research methodologies, (1) how young people presenting to youth justice services describe and understand their own mental health and needs, and (2) how a novel research approach (Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD)) could be applied to facilitate recognition and service developments for young people with mental health difficulties presenting in community forensic settings. A qualitative systematic review and meta-ethnography of the research literature on how young people in contact with the youth justice system (YJS) experience mental health problems was undertaken. Fourteen studies were included in the review which represented 278 study participants in total, aged between 13-39 years (to capture retrospective accounts of offending behaviour). Included studies were conducted across a range of countries with different legal jurisdictions (six in the USA, five in the UK, one in Sweden, one in the Netherlands and one in New Zealand). The review aimed to explore how young people who offend talk about and describe their experiences of mental health; their beliefs and perceptions about mental health and well-being; what it means to be susceptible to mental health problems; and the kinds of language they use to describe this. The key findings were that: (1) some young people lacked the ability to understand their own and others’ mental health difficulties; (2) some young people were able to reflect on their experiences, and in some cases, they were able to develop ways of coping with their adverse circumstances, and (3) some young people indicated what does and does not work in their experiences of professional support. This review identified that better understanding is needed about the ways in which young people develop and show resilience to adverse circumstances and how they perceive their own situation, in order to develop services that are more appropriate to their needs. The review also identified that developing innovative ways to include young people in research and practice must consider the communication difficulties that young people who offend often experience. The evidence from this review contributed to the development of the primary qualitative study in this thesis. This qualitative study was designed and undertaken using a modified experience-based co-design (EBCD) approach. EBCD is an approach to healthcare improvement that enables staff and service users to jointly co-design services. Central to the approach is the idea that experiences held by service users and ‘touchpoints’ (e.g. critical points or moments) in their journey through a service are integral to service improvement. Qualitative methods used within this EBCD approach included: observational fieldwork in four police custody suites (n=30 hours); in-depth interviews with staff in community forensic services (n=13) and an interview sub-study of researcher perspectives (n=7). Significant challenges experienced in the recruitment of young people who offend into this primary qualitative study required revising the research plan. This revised plan included adopting a modified approach in the development of young peoples’ touchpoints and the inclusion of a qualitative interview sub-study of researcher perspectives to critically reflect on the EBCD research process itself. The findings from this primary qualitative study have demonstrated: (1) some of the challenges of working in the police custody environment and pressures on the services to deal with mental health issues; (2) the difficulties of working in community forensic services with young people who offend and who often have complex and unmet needs (e.g. lack of staff training and support, lack of smooth pathways to mental health services and difficulties engaging with young people and families); (3) a modified approach to including the experiences (i.e. touchpoints) of young people who offend can be useful and is feasible in gathering their experiences of youth justice services; and (4) the shared experiences of challenges faced by research staff applying the EBCD approach in similar studies with similar population groups. Findings presented in this thesis have contributed knowledge to an existing small body of evidence about how young people who offend experience and understand their mental health and towards the feasibility of applying the EBCD approach in community forensic services with this population group. Specifically, the findings suggest: allowing greater youth participation through re-framing assumptions about how young people experience their own mental health; developing capacity in community forensic services to facilitate joint working; increasing flexibility in and between services to promote service developments; and further modifying EBCD for disadvantaged and/or vulnerable groups.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR

The identification and analysis of subaggregate groups of outdoor recreation participants by frequency data.

Dept. of Geography. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1975 .G62. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1975

Private funding for international humanitarian assistance

The impact of Covid-19 means humanitarian funding is being spread more thinly than ever. With the gap between needs and finance continuing to grow, funding from public donors (referring to funding from governments and EU institutions) is not keeping up with requirements.[1] In 2020, total international humanitarian assistance failed to grow for the second year running and in light of the ongoing impacts of the pandemic, calls to diversify and widen the resource base of the humanitarian system, including increasing private donor funding, are more relevant than ever.[2]Private actors play many different roles in humanitarian response, including as service providers, investors and funders. This briefing focuses on the role of private actors as donors of international humanitarian assistance (rather than of domestic assistance). Private individuals, trusts, foundations, companies and corporations have long been important contributors of international humanitarian financing and have consistently provided more than a fifth of total humanitarian funding every year – more than the humanitarian budgets of the second- and third-largest public donors (Germany and the UK) combined.Despite the large contributions from private donors, there is a stark lack of data available on who provides it and where it goes, with no systematic reporting of private contributions from either donors or recipients. In an effort to fill this data gap, DI compiles an annual dataset through a survey to recipient organisations to calculate the annual volume of private humanitarian funding, broken down by donor type. We publish this data each year as part of the Global Humanitarian Assistance (GHA) report. While this provides a top-line estimate of the quantity of humanitarian assistance from private donors, it does not provide information on the characteristics of that funding

Comparisons of the life histories of different varieties of mitopus morio (araghnida : opiliones)

Not availabl

Interactions between marine benthic macroinvertebrates and their sedimentary environment

Summary available: p. xvi

A study of the swarming behaviour and the effects of the weather on the activity of trichocera (diptera:nematocera)

Not availabl