Unravelling effectiveness of a nurse-led behaviour change intervention to enhance physical activity in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease in primary care: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Self-management interventions are considered effective in patients with chronic disease, but trials have shown inconsistent results, and it is unknown which patients benefit most. Adequate self-management requires behaviour change in both patients and health care providers. Therefore, the Activate intervention was developed with a focus on behaviour change in both patients and nurses. The intervention aims for change in a single self-management behaviour, namely physical activity, in primary care patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Activate intervention. METHODS/DESIGN: A two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial will be conducted to compare the Activate intervention with care as usual at 31 general practices in the Netherlands. Approximately 279 patients at risk for cardiovascular disease will participate. The Activate intervention is developed using the Behaviour Change Wheel and consists of 4 nurse-led consultations in a 3-month period, integrating 17 behaviour change techniques. The Behaviour Change Wheel was also applied to analyse what behaviour change is needed in nurses to deliver the intervention adequately. This resulted in 1-day training and coaching sessions (including 21 behaviour change techniques). The primary outcome is physical activity, measured as the number of minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity using an accelerometer. Potential effect modifiers are age, body mass index, level of education, social support, depression, patient-provider relationship and baseline number of minutes of physical activity. Data will be collected at baseline and at 3 months and 6 months of follow-up. A process evaluation will be conducted to evaluate the training of nurses, treatment fidelity, and to identify barriers to and facilitators of implementation as well as to assess participants' satisfaction. DISCUSSION: To increase physical activity in patients and to support nurses in delivering the intervention, behaviour change techniques are applied to change behaviours of the patients and nurses. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention, exploration of which patients benefit most, and evaluation of our theory-based training for primary care nurses will enhance understanding of what works and for whom, which is essential for further implementation of self-management in clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02725203 . Registered on 25 March 2016

Novel spin-precession method for sensitive EDM searches

We demonstrate a spin-precession method to observe and analyze multi-level coherence between all hyperfine levels in the $X ^2\Sigma^+,N=0$ ground state of barium monofluoride ($^{138}$Ba$^{19}$F). The signal is sensitive to the state-preparation Rabi frequency and external electric and magnetic fields applied in searches for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). In the obtained interference spectrum, the electric field and Rabi frequency become observable simultaneously with the EDM. This method reduces systematic biases and the number of auxiliary measurements for such precision measurements

Novel spin-precession method for sensitive EDM searches

We demonstrate a spin-precession method to observe and analyze multi-level coherence between all hyperfine levels in the $X ^2\Sigma^+,N=0$ ground state of barium monofluoride ($^{138}$Ba$^{19}$F). The signal is sensitive to the state-preparation Rabi frequency and external electric and magnetic fields applied in searches for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). In the obtained interference spectrum, the electric field and Rabi frequency become observable simultaneously with the EDM. This method reduces systematic biases and the number of auxiliary measurements for such precision measurements

Novel spin-precession method for sensitive EDM searches

We demonstrate a spin-precession method to observe and analyze multi-level coherence between all hyperfine levels in the $X ^2\Sigma^+,N=0$ ground state of barium monofluoride ($^{138}$Ba$^{19}$F). The signal is sensitive to the state-preparation Rabi frequency and external electric and magnetic fields applied in searches for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). In the obtained interference spectrum, the electric field and Rabi frequency become observable simultaneously with the EDM. This method reduces systematic biases and the number of auxiliary measurements for such precision measurements

Novel spin-precession method for sensitive EDM searches

We demonstrate a spin-precession method to observe and analyze multi-level coherence between all hyperfine levels in the $X ^2\Sigma^+,N=0$ ground state of barium monofluoride ($^{138}$Ba$^{19}$F). The signal is sensitive to the state-preparation Rabi frequency and external electric and magnetic fields applied in searches for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). In the obtained interference spectrum, the electric field and Rabi frequency become observable simultaneously with the EDM. This method reduces systematic biases and the number of auxiliary measurements for such precision measurements

Novel spin-precession method for sensitive EDM searches

We demonstrate a spin-precession method to observe and analyze multi-level coherence between all hyperfine levels in the $X ^2\Sigma^+,N=0$ ground state of barium monofluoride ($^{138}$Ba$^{19}$F). The signal is sensitive to the state-preparation Rabi frequency and external electric and magnetic fields applied in searches for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM). In the obtained interference spectrum, the electric field and Rabi frequency become observable simultaneously with the EDM. This method reduces systematic biases and the number of auxiliary measurements for such precision measurements

A supersonic laser ablation beam source with narrow velocity spreads

A supersonic beam source for SrF and BaF molecules is constructed by combining the expansion of carrier gas (a mixture of 2% SF6 and 98% argon) from an Even-Lavie valve with laser ablation of a barium/strontium metal target at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. Molecular beams with a narrow translational velocity spread are produced at relative values of Δv/v = 0.053(11) and 0.054(9) for SrF and BaF, respectively. The relative velocity spread of the beams produced in our source is lower in comparison with the results from other metal fluoride beams produced in supersonic laser ablation sources. The rotational temperature of BaF is measured to be 3.5 K. The source produces 6 × 108 and 107 molecules per steradian per pulse in the X2ς+ (ν = 0, N = 1) state of BaF and SrF molecules, respectively, a state amenable to Stark deceleration and laser cooling

Deceleration and Trapping of SrF Molecules

We report on the electrostatic trapping of neutral SrF molecules. The molecules are captured from a cryogenic buffer-gas beam source into the moving traps of a 4.5 m long traveling-wave Stark decelerator. The SrF molecules in $X^2\Sigma^+(v=0, N=1)$ state are brought to rest as the velocity of the moving traps is gradually reduced from 190 m/s to zero. The molecules are held for up to 50 ms in multiple electric traps of the decelerator. The trapped packets have a volume (FWHM) of 1 mm$^{3}$ and a velocity spread of 5(1) m/s which corresponds to a temperature of $60(20)$ mK. Our result demonstrates a factor 3 increase in the molecular mass that has been Stark-decelerated and trapped. Heavy molecules (mass$>$100 amu) offer a highly increased sensitivity to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. This work significantly extends the species of neutral molecules of which slow beams can be created for collision studies, precision measurement and trapping experiments

Lifetime measurements of the A (2)Pi(1/2) and A (2)Pi(3/2) states in BaF

Time resolved detection of laser induced fluorescence from pulsed excitation of electronic states in barium monofluoride (BaF) molecules has been performed in order to determine the lifetimes of the $A^2\Pi_{1/2}$ and $A^2\Pi_{3/2}$ states. The method permits control over experimental parameters such that systematic biases in the interpretation of the data can be controlled to below $10^{-3}$ relative accuracy. The statistically limited values for the lifetimes of the $A^2\Pi_{1/2}(\nu=0)$ and $A^2\Pi_{3/2}(\nu=0)$ states are 57.1(3) ns and 47.9(7)~ns, respectively. The ratio of these values is in good agreement with scaling for the different excitation energies. The investigated molecular states are of relevance for an experimental search for a permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron in BaF